But We Lost It
by VeraRose19
Summary: How could she make them see that she loved them as much as she always had? She loved them so much that it hurt, and if she needed to, she would devote the rest of her life to proving it. Nicky is fostered by Red.
1. Chapter 1

**This is an idea that has been bouncing around in my head since watching Season 7. Written in honour of Johanna-002. Happy early birthday!**

It was dark outside. The black sky camouflaged by the city lights gave the illusion of it being much later than only six-thirty, which wasn't doing anything to help Gloria Mendoza's energy levels. Stifling a yawn as she rang through the last of her customers, Gloria was eager to close and head upstairs for what she prayed would be some semblance of a relaxing night. Her head was still pounding from the harsh words exchanged only that morning at breakfast. The cold air that blew in every single time the store door was opened reminded her continually that winter was arriving, months had passed, and things still weren't getting any better. It couldn't go on like this much longer.

"Gloria!"

'_Don't rise to it. Don't answer.' _Gloria's hand clenched tightly around a roll of quarters that she had just finished counting up. She tossed it into her deposit bag and kept her head diverted down at the cash drawer as she listened to the sound of shuffling footsteps getting closer and an over exaggerated, exasperating, sigh.

"Mom," she gave in.

"That's better…" Gloria automatically raised her head to meet her daughter's eye. Ceci was a beautiful girl, with long legs and a slim waist. At five feet, seven, she towered over her mother. With long wavy black hair, and enormous wide-set hazel eyes, she could have been a model. The arms crossed definitely across her chest and the lips plumped up in a pout, did not do anything to disguise her beauty. Nor did the ratty jeans and faded t-shirt she insisted on wearing, rather than take Gloria up on her offer to do some shopping.

"Can I leave now?"

"Did you finish unpacking the boxes in the back like I'd asked you to?" The groan uttered from her daughter told her that she hadn't, so what had she been doing in the storage room for the better part of an hour?

"Come on, I'll help you," Gloria said pleasantly, resolving not to get angry. She zipped closed her deposit bag and then bent to place it into the safe located under the counter. Reaching around her neck for the keys she wore on a chain, Gloria walked around to the door. She turned over the open/closed sign and turned her key in the lock to close it.

"Tia, will be by soon with the babies."

"Great!" Ceci said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she lagged behind as they walked back to the storage room.

There were cartons of boxes all over the floor, when Gloria needed them stacked neatly on the shelves. Shipments came in every Friday and it was a job she had assigned Ceci to complete after school, to give the girl a chance to earn some spending money _and _because she had hoped working together would help bring them closer. It hadn't. And now it seemed like Ceci had just taken complete advantage. It was hard not to be angry.

"Do you wanna fire me?" Ceci asked with a shrug of indifference.

Gloria took a deep breath. "Do you want to be fired?"

"From being your daughter? Yes," Ceci said shortly.

"Doesn't work that way, _chiqua_," Gloria said, using everything within her to keep her tone neutral. "Now start putting these boxes away with me or you won't like what happens next."

Ceci looked for a moment like she would have liked to argue. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she slowly started to do as she was asked. With much grumbling and noise of protestation, she began to put the boxes where they were supposed to go. Gloria resisted the temptation to ask if she had been having a nap back here. More that likely she had been texting away on her new cell phone, which had been a welcome gift Gloria had given both of her girls on the ride home from the airport. It was for her own peace of mind, as much as it was to try and make them happy, but she had still hoped that it would have convinced them there would be perks to moving to New York City.

"So, I was thinking we could watch a movie tonight?" Gloria suggested casually. "Maybe order some takeout for dinner once I get the boys to bed?"

"I'm going out with Nicky tonight," Ceci said tightly.

"You never asked me if you could," Gloria reminded her, shoving a box onto the shelf with a bit more force than was necessary. "Cecilia, how many times do I need to tell you that you must ask my permission before you go anywhere? Especially at night! And I know Nicky's mother would agree."

"Red's not her mom," Ceci shot back.

"Is that how Nicky feels?" Gloria asked.

"Do you care how she feels?" Ceci retorted. "Do you even care how I feel?"

"Baby, of course I do…"

"Don't call me that!" Ceci snapped. "And obviously you don't care or you wouldn't have made me come live with you. How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to be here? And neither does Elena!"

"You're sixteen, you're still a child," Gloria replied. "You don't have all the answers here, even when you think you do."

"When you were sixteen, you had a child," Ceci countered.

"Yes, and it was really hard," Gloria said. "And I made a lot of mistakes with it. Do you think I ever intended to make my own daughter hate me? It kills me the way things are between us. That's why I'm fighting tooth and nail to fix it!"

Ceci looked uncomfortable but didn't respond. She silently finished putting all of the boxes away, working faster now to get it done. When the floor was clear and everything was as it should be, she turned back to look at her mother.

"Mom, can I please go spend the night with Nicky?" she asked politely.

"Will you be home by curfew?" Gloria asked, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice. She found that she couldn't look at her daughter right now. She didn't want Ceci to see the tears threatening to fall.

"Actually, I was hoping I could just sleep over," Ceci replied.

"If it's alright with Galina, then it's alright with me," Gloria said tiredly. "I'll be checking in with her, and you can call me if you need anything or if you want me to come and get you…"

She knew there was no chance of that happening. Ceci avoided spending time with Gloria as much as she could. She stayed late after school, spent hours at the library, and once she had begun growing closer to Gloria's friend's foster daughter, she started asking to sleepover there almost every weekend. Red had offered to start saying no to the girls' requests, but Gloria didn't see a point in antagonizing Ceci more than she had to. She had forced her unwilling daughters to get on a plane from Puerto Rico and move to be with her, but she couldn't make them like it. She couldn't even get them to like her.

XXX

"Rough day?" Lourdes, Gloria's aunt, sounded strangely sympathetic when Gloria walked upstairs to the apartment above the store a few minutes later.

Gloria nodded but didn't elaborate. As soon as her shoes were kicked off, she sprinted across the living room and took the bundled baby from her aunt's arms. Benny gurgled and wrapped his pudgy little arms around her neck. His fingernails stabbed into her skin, but she didn't care, she just inhaled the scent of him. Benny was always happy to see her after a long day of work.

"Mami!" Gloria's strained face brightened when her three-year-old son Julio raced out of the bedroom and wrapped his arms around her leg.

"I missed you," Gloria leaned down to kiss his thick mane of hair.

"I want you to pick me up," Julio informed her, looking up at her with loving eyes.

Though she was already holding his brother, Gloria shifted Benny onto her right hip and used one arm and her thigh to briefly pick up both of her sons. "I've got two boys," she told them, kissing both of their cheeks as they giggled. She walked with difficulty over to the sofa and dropped Julio on to it.

"Where's Elena?" she asked.

"In her bedroom," Lourdes replied, moistening her lips. "I think she was doing her homework."

"Oh, well that's good, I suppose," Gloria said lightly, bouncing Benny on her hip. Elena spent nearly all her time in the bedroom she shared with her big sister, with the door closed tightly. She had to be coaxed out of there for meals or anytime Gloria made an attempt to do something with her. While she was never exactly rude, she was very wary of Gloria. Almost as if she were a stranger, which Gloria refused to consider herself. It may have been five years since they had been together, but they had always been on her mind and she had called them every single week.

"Gloria, I know you're not going to like to hear this but…"

"Stop," Gloria held up a hand, as she sank down on the sofa next to her son. She leaned back into the cushions and stood Benny up on her lap. "Tia, the last thing I need right now is any criticism from you."

"I'm not criticizing you, Gloria," Lourdes replied. "I am worried about you. How long is this going to go on?"

"I'm their mother," Gloria replied, bouncing Benny closer so she could kiss his cherub cheeks. "It never stops."

"Is Ceci not coming home again tonight?" Lourdes asked.

"She's sleeping over at Galina's," Gloria replied, landing a kiss on Benny's button nose next. Julio snuggled closely against her hip and rested his head against her shoulder. "I told her that she could."

"And what does Galina think about all of this?" asked Lourdes.

"She supports me 100 percent," Gloria said, picking up the television remote so that she could turn on a cartoon for Julio. "Which is something that you could try, you know?"

"I'm just wondering if you making them stay here is doing more harm to your relationship that good," Lourdes pressed. "They miss their abuela. Elena asked me if they were going to go back to see her for Christmas. Maybe you'd have a better chance of reaching them if you let them move back with her and just found a way to visit more?"

"I'm their mother, and they belong with me," Gloria said tightly. "Don't ever suggest that to me again. They aren't going anywhere."

Lourdes huffed but did not broach the subject. Gloria turned Benny around on her lap and sat him down, bouncing her knees to play horsie. He giggled with glee and Gloria found herself smiling in spite of the hurt in her heart. She could remember doing the same thing to both of her girls. Sleeping with them snuggled up beside her every night from the time they were born, until she had left to seek out a better life for them. They had been so close. How could she make them see that she loved them as much as she always had? She loved them so much that it hurt, and if she needed to, she would devote the rest of her life to proving it.


	2. Chapter 2

"I thought you girls might like some popcorn to go with your movie," Galina Reznikov said, walking through the archway that separated her small kitchen from the living room of her apartment.

Nicky nodded her head and eagerly held out a hand to accept the large blue bowl. "You _know _we do, Red" she teased her. "You _always _make it for us."

"Thank you," Ceci said politely, as her friend settled the bowl between them. Nicky was right that this always happened. Friday nights at the Reznikovs were predictable and relaxing, and the only thing that seemed to ever vary was their choice in movie. Ceci selected a piece of popcorn and tossed it into her mouth. Still hot and with melted butter drizzled on top. She already knew that on Galina's next trip to the kitchen, she was likely to offer them sodas.

"Any for me?" Dmitri Reznikov asked hopefully. He leaned back in his armchair and stretched his arms over his head. It was hit spot and everyone knew it. Ceci rarely saw him move from it and it was an unspoken rule in this home that nobody else sat there.

"Sure," Galina said agreeably. Her eyes were still focused on the girls. "I just got off the phone with your mom, Ceci."

"Yeah…" Ceci mumbled, her mouth full of popcorn and her eyes glued to the screen. "What did she want?"

"You can call her yourself when your movie is over, if you wish," Galina said simply. "She said she'll be up late."

"Okay," Ceci muttered.

"Galina, add some cheddar to the popcorn before you come back," Dmitri interjected. "You know the way that I like it?"

"Anything else?" Galina asked him sarcastically, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling.

"Rye and Coke would be nice," Dmitri said.

"Me too!" Nicky said brightly. "I like mine on the rocks."

"Ha ha," Galina shook her head at Nicky in bemusement. "I don't want to know how you like it. You're sixteen." She smiled at Ceci. "Would you like a coke, honey?"

"Yes, please," Ceci nodded. She shared a smirk with Nicky and helped herself to more popcorn. Nicky had been one of the first people Gloria had introduced her to, and she had to admit that she was grateful to her mom for that. Having a good friend to do things with and a place to escape her problems temporarily, helped make life a little bit more bearable.

As Galina walked back into the kitchen, she worked on unlacing the ties of the red apron she was wearing over her clothes. The leftovers from supper were put away, the dishes were done, and she was busy contemplating whether or not she would rather join the others in the living room or retire to bed to read the book she was currently enjoying.

As she began to prepare another bowl of popcorn and then got the glasses out of the cupboard so she could prepare Dmitri his drink and pour some sodas for the girls, she had to smile at the sound of laughter and chatter echoing through the apartment. It had been such a lonely place, before they had welcomed Nicky into their lives seven months ago.

"I'll see if I can…" Ceci was saying to Nicky, when Galina walked into the room

"If you can what?" Galina interjected loudly, shooting a look of annoyance at her husband who was enamoured in the movie and seemed completely oblivious to the intense conversation the girls appeared to be having right under his nose.

Ceci's head shot up sharply and her cheeks flushed. Galina handed her a can of soda and then turned to Nicky, who met her gaze calmly and unblinkingly. She knew Nicky's troubled history and was cautious about it. Previous foster parents had statements in her file about lying, stealing, and sneaking out of the house-and that was nothing to what the girl's own father had claimed when he surrendered her, after Nicky had experienced a brief stint in Juvie. Yet, Galina had not noticed any of the behavioural issues she had been bracing herself for. She really thought the girl had just never been loved in the right way before and she was so grateful for the special relationship that she and Nicky shared. .

"I was just inviting Ceci to come with me when I go hang out with a friend from my old school," Nicky said brightly, taking the soda that Galina passed her to.

"What friend is this?" Galina asked. As far as she knew, Nicky didn't have any friends from the private school she had been expelled from the previous year for skipping and mouthing off to the teachers. Since entering the system, she had been bounced from home to home and consequently school districts numerous times that Galina didn't see how she had managed to make any lasting friendships.

"At AppleHurst," Nicky replied promptly. "It was the last school I went to before I came here. They're having a skate-a-thon tomorrow night and I think it looks fun. I can go, can't I?"

"I don't see why not," Galina replied, as she moved to sit down on the ottoman at Dmitri's feet. She handed him his drink and popcorn and then turned back to the girls. She decided to be safe. "I'll take you there and pick you up though," she said, watching their faces carefully for a reaction, but Nicky only smiled and nodded complacently.

"I've never ice skated before," Ceci said hesitantly, sharing a look with Nicky.

"I can teach you," Nicky assured her.

"Okay," Ceci agreed.

"I think I have skates that will fit you both," Galina said, reaching back for a handful of popcorn from Dmitri's bowl. "I'll dig them out in the morning."

"While you're at it, you should tell the boys to come by and pick theirs up," Dmitri advised her. "We don't have enough room to be storing all their things."

"Do you even know where the skates are?" Galina reproached him. "They're tucked out of the way not bothering anyone, and you wouldn't be able to find them if you tried."

"Well, I'm just saying," Dmitri shrugged. "You get on me about my stuff and I actually live here. The boys aren't moving back."

"No," Galina agreed, but it didn't make her sad like it once would have. Her youngest son had flown the nest nearly two years ago to start a life with his girlfriend, and all three sons were busy with their adult lives. Though they stayed in touch and still saw her often, it wasn't the same as having a child in the home who truly needed her. She hadn't been ready to give that up, which was when she had decided to try fostering. Nicky was her first, and Galina was already having feelings about wanting to formally adopt her. She told Nicky every single day what a gift she was.

"Do you want a backrub?" Dmitri offered, once he had drained the last sips from his glass. Her popped some ice chips into his mouth and chewed them.

"Your fingers are too greasy," Galina replied.

"What about my feet?" Dmitri offered, pressing the ball of his foot into a tender spot on her lower back. "Isn't that the spot that usually gives you trouble?"

"Yes, but that just feels like you're kicking me," Galina answered.

"I tried," Dmitri said, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. He turned to the girls and shared a wink with Nicky. "Galya doesn't like me trying to be nice to her."

"Poking her in the back with your foot? Is that the best you can do?" Nicky taunted with a snicker.

Galina laughed good-naturedly and even Dmitri joined in. Ceci smiled and fed herself one piece of popcorn from her hand at a time, while Nicky leaned over to turn off the lamp and envelop the living room into darkness. Galina helped herself to some more popcorn and then leaned back into Dmitri's legs despite herself, trying to find a comfortable spot.

For awhile, everything was quiet aside from the movie they were watching and the sound of everyone eating. Then the telephone began to ring. "I'll take it," Galina said automatically, as Dmitri passed her the phone that was on the table beside him. "Probably Vasily."

She stood up to walk into her bedroom so that she wouldn't disturb them. Answering the call, she could recognize the voice on the other end immediately as Gloria's.

"I know we just spoke," Gloria sounded apologetic, and Galina bit down on her lower lip. She could sense Gloria's defeat in her tone and it just made her so sad. The two women had been friends for a few years now, meeting shortly after Gloria arrived in New York. They'd ridden the same bus together.

Building a better life for her girls and getting everything ready for them was something Gloria had constantly talked about. She had missed them fiercely and Galina had always sympathized with her pain, because it wasn't something she ever thought she could have endured. She had been there when Gloria had unexpectedly discovered she was pregnant, first with Julio and then with Benny. She had cried for her when the men she had thought were in it for the long haul, ran off before she even gave birth.

Although, she had always admired the way Gloria never had wasted time feeling sorry for herself, Galina did feel a pang of sadness for the girls who had been without her for so long. She didn't blame them for resisting their mother now, but it frustrated her that they were so unwilling to bed when Gloria was doing all the right things now. The past couldn't be changed.

"Honey, do you want me to bring her home once they finish watching their movie?" Galina asked gently into the phone. She never knew exactly what the right thing was for her to do. While she felt guilty for giving Ceci the option to avoid her mom like she did, she also thought the girl having a place to cool down and escape to was important. Mostly, Galina just tried to honour Gloria's wishes though.

"No, I don't want to make her mad," Gloria sighed. "I just miss her."

"Do you want me to tell her that?" Galina offered, perching herself on the foot of her bed. She smoothed down a crease in her comforter and felt a pang of guilt for feeling so content during a night in with her friend's daughter, when Gloria was not included.

"I don't know," Gloria sighed.

"We have such a thankless job," Galina sympathized, crawling up the bed and resting her head against her pillow. "No matter what a mother does, she is going to be wrong."

"You seem to be doing alright," Gloria remarked dully.

"You just have to be patient with her. I remember what it was like for my boys to blame me for everything going wrong in their lives." Galina sighed and shook her head, almost as if to dispel those thoughts. "She'll come around."

"It's just...so hard," Gloria admitted.

"I know," Galina smiled. "If being a mother was easy, fathers would do it." She was glad when that coaxed a laugh out of her friend.

"Dmitri spent over twenty years sitting in a chair, yet his sons praise him like he's god for never having wandered," she shared. "Ceci just needs time. I know that she loves you."

"I hope so," Gloria said skeptically. There was the sound of a faucet being turned on, and Galina guessed correctly that Gloria was settling into a bubble bath. It was her favourite was to de-stress once the kids were in bed and she was alone for the night.

"Don't forget to add the oils I got you for your birthday," Galina reminded her playfully.

"Of course, I wouldn't," Gloria replied. "My bubbles are lavender scented too."

"Sounds heavenly," Galina sighed. "I hope you can relax; you need it."

"Yeah," Gloria agreed. "Lourdes really got to me today."

"How so?" Galina frowned.

"She didn't say anything that I haven't been saying to myself," Gloria admitted. "But it was the last thing I needed to hear. She basically told me that it is doing more damage to my relationship with Ceci by making her stay here. She thinks I should send the girls back to my mother."

"_You're _their mother. They belong with you," Galina said automatically. "If they want to move back to Puerto Rico when they turn eighteen, then fine, you can't stop them. But until then, make it clear to all of them, Lourdes included, that that possibility is off the table."

"Do you want to tell her that?" Gloria smirked.

"No!" Galina exclaimed. "But if she doesn't agree with what you're doing then I think she just needs to stay quiet about it. If the girls still think there's a remote possibility that you will change your mind and let them go back, then they aren't going to give up trying to making you miserable. They'll just know that their bad attitudes are working."

"You're right," Gloria exhaled loudly, her breath echoing into the phone. "Doesn't make it any easier."

"You're doing the right thing," Galina tried to sound reassuring. "Hopefully someday the girls will realize that and thank you."

"I'd settle for civil conversation," Gloria replied. "To walk into my own home and not feel like I suddenly got the plague."

"It will happen," Galina soothed.

"I was thinking I'd ask Lourdes to watch the boys tomorrow so I could have time alone with them," Gloria said. "But she already had them all day today."

"If Lourdes can't, then I could watch them for a few hours," Galina offered. "Although, I should warn you that Ceci already sort of made plans to go skating with Nicky tomorrow."

"Oh," Gloria said flatly. Then she scoffed. "Well, I guess a teenager with even a normal relationship with her mom usually doesn't want to hang out with her on a Saturday night."

"Maybe you could do something with just Elena?" Galina suggested.

"She never wants to do anything without her sister," Gloria said. "Just hides in her bedroom when Ceci isn't home, but I'll try." The sound of the running water in the background was silenced. Galina could hear the water swishing as Gloria stepped into the bath and sat down.

"I'll call Ceci in the morning," Gloria said, leaning back against the back of her tub. "But you can go ahead and tell her that I miss her."

**Thank you so much for the reviews Boris Yeltsin, galinareznikovlove, Johanna-002, Guest, whenaspritemeetsaunicorn, and wallscollide. **


	3. Chapter 3

Gloria never got to sleep in on Saturdays. It was the store's busiest day and once she opened for business in the morning, she rarely got much of a chance to sit down. Since Lourdes never had to work weekends at her job, she always offered to take the boys. Saving her money on a babysitter and giving Gloria, what she had hoped would be, the opportunity to be alone with her daughters. Gloria had always envisioned them snacking on candy behind the counter while they gossiped with her about everything, they wanted her to know between customers. Like most things in life, the reality turned out to be much different.

Ceci kept so busy with Nicky and school that she rarely was home, aside from sleeping. She'd work down in the store just long enough to earn the pocket money she needed to keep up with all her activity. It pained Gloria, but she also saw that it hurt Elena even more, who felt abandoned by her big sister and compelled to feel even more resentment towards her mother, for seemingly chasing Ceci away.

After Gloria had gotten off the phone last night, she had knocked on Elena's door and invited herself inside to perch on the foot of her daughter's bed. Her daughter had not appeared to welcome her company, but she did not ask her to go away either like her older sister would have. She was seated at her desk, penciling in her answers to math problems with an eraser at the ready when she needed to try again.

"Do you like your new school?" Gloria had asked gently.

"It's okay," Elena had shrugged, with her shoulders still hunched over her homework. "My teachers are good."

It was a start. Something positive to hold onto, in the sea of critiques and complaints from her daughters who had seemed determined to find fault with everything from the moment their plane touched down in New York. Gloria hadn't said much more to Elena after that, but she didn't leave either. She'd lain down on Ceci's vacant bed silently, attempting to read the novel that had been lying spine up over the bedspread, but mostly just relishing in being in such close proximity to Elena.

As she'd looked around the pretty little pink room, Gloria had refrained from voicing her thoughts aloud. She had created for them a bedroom for little girls, and little girls they no longer were. Bringing them home had forced Gloria to confront the truth that five years was a significant amount of time. She'd watched the way they both had eyed the dolls and stuffed animals reproachfully, before allowing Julio to toddle off with them into his own room. They hadn't been impressed by the bunk beds she'd selected either, something they had always wanted as small children. Within a week, the beds had been taken apart and the pink walls had been mostly covered by posters and photographs the girls had brought with them, of the friends and family left behind in Puerto Rico.

"I think I'm going to go to bed now," Elena had spoken finally, dismissing her, after nearly an hour spent together in companionable silence. Part of Gloria had wanted to ask if her daughter wouldn't care if she slept over in Ceci's bed that night, but she hadn't wanted to push her luck.

"Sure, sweetheart," Gloria had said agreeably, setting the book down. She'd gotten to her feet, but before making to leave the room she had reached out to Elena for a hug. Her daughter had felt stiff and unfamiliar in her arms, but Elena hadn't pushed away or anything of the sort. She'd leaned her forehead onto her mother's shoulder, and didn't protest the feel of Gloria's lips kissing her hair and inhaling the sweet scent that was uniquely hers.

Reinvigorated, by a small sense of hope, the next day in the store passed quickly and pleasantly enough. Ceci had never called or came home, but Galina kept her informed, and Elena slept late and then hung out alone upstairs in the apartment. Gloria had gone up to check on her a couple of times, and their exchanges had been amicable. Although, on her last visit, she'd found Elena speaking Spanish on the phone to her grandmother. The young girl's longing and sense of homesickness could be sensed in every syllable, and filled Gloria once again with guilt and despair.

"_All night?" _Lourdes sighed loudly into the phone, once Gloria went back down to the store and called her.

"No, not all night," Gloria replied. "We'll get home around eleven or so. Please, Tia? It's important. And the boys will be asleep through it all anyway."

"_Benny doesn't like to sleep for me_," Lourdes protested. _"Do you know how much I had to fight to get him to take his nap this afternoon? And then Julio decided it was a good time to pretend to be a dinosaur and stomp around until it woke the baby up." _

"I promise, I'm not going to make a habit of this," Gloria pleaded. "I just really would like to take Elena out by herself tonight. I think it would be good for us."

"_Where's Cecelia?" _Lourdes asked.

"With Nicky," Gloria replied.

There was a pause. _"And you're sure Nicky is a good influence?" _Lourdes asked skeptically.

"I have no reasons to be concerned," Gloria replied. "And as of now, she is the only thing in Ceci's life that makes her happy."

"_Just keep your eye out for trouble," _Lourdes cautioned. _"Because that's all we'd need." _

"Tia-"

"_I'll keep them,"_ Lourdes said. _"Just this one time. And you be by tomorrow to pick them up early because I've got things of my own to do." _

As soon as she was off the phone, Gloria had closed up the store in record time and went upstairs to take full advantage of this night alone with Elena. She hadn't given the girl a choice. She had been cooped up alone in the apartment all day, which wasn't good for anyone. Gloria just announced she was going for a shower, and that she wanted Elena to be dressed and ready to go out by the time she came back. Not as argumentative as her sister, Elena did what she was told.

"What are we doing?" she asked dully.

"We're going out to dinner," Gloria replied, bending down to slip her feet into her black ankle boots.

"Where?" asked Elena.

"You decide," Gloria said. She finished zipping up her boot and then reached for the coat she had hung on the hook. "This is your night. We can do anything you want, so long as it doesn't involve staying home or ditching me. We can go to dinner, do some shopping, get some ice cream."

Elena stared at her in bewilderment. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she looked wary about the entire prospect. Gloria fumbled a little, her confidence taking a hit.

"Or maybe the movies," she suggested awkwardly. "If you don't really want to talk to me?"

Elena pursed her lips and Gloria could tell she was considering her offer with a great deal of thought.

"Okay," she said finally.

"Really?" Gloria couldn't keep the eagerness at her tone, and it made Elena giggle shyly.

"Yeah…" Elena nodded her head agreeably. "Maybe we could go eat at that restaurant you started working at when you first came here?"

It was the first time she had ever shown any curiosity about what had gone on in her mother's life during their years apart. It made Gloria smile. She would be happy to share that with her daughter, if she was interested in listening. Maybe it would compel Elena to fill in more of the blanks in her own life. And maybe more understanding of one another, would lead to a renewed sense of closeness. Where forgiveness would have a fighting chance.

XXX

Ceci limped awkwardly over to the curb so that she could hail a cab. She had twisted her ankle, not paying attention to the uneven sidewalk beneath her feet as she walked away from the old stone house. Though it was a few blocks away, she could still hear the music loudly. She predicted that the cops would be by to shut everything down soon. She hoped Nicky would have left by then. Already on probation since being released from Juvie, mischief of almost any kind could lead to her being sent back. It seemed like such a stupid and self-destructive risk, when even Nicky admitted that she had never been happier since being placed with the Reznikovs.

Ceci bit down on her bottom lip, adjusting the heavy duffel bag holding the skates Galina had lent her. Though she had wanted to ditch them in a set of bushes near the skating rink they were dropped off in front of, Nicky had been worried someone would swipe them which could lead to awkward questions with her foster mother. So Ceci had been lugging them around all night.

"Taxi, taxi!" Ceci called out, waving her hand. After only a few months in the city, she was already pretty good at getting around New York by herself. Not that hailing cabs, alone, late at night was ever something she would be allowed to do, if her mother knew.

The bright yellow car pulled up to the curb and Ceci tossed her skating bag in and then slid in beside it. She gave her home address to the driver, and then reached for the wallet in her purse to count out the fare. She huffed when she realized this ride was probably going to cost her all her money, which meant she would need to spend another day in the store with Gloria, to earn some more.

"Could you turn the heat up please?" she asked, rubbing her hands together. While she'd been walking, she hadn't realized just how cold she had become. Her ankle was throbbing and she felt a flash of renewed irritation at her friend igniting inside of her.

'_The least Nicky could have done is leave with me when I asked her to call Galina to pick us up,' _she thought to herself. But Nicky had been too caught up in what she was doing to pay much attention to Ceci, when she had come over to speak to her. Cecelia couldn't call Galina or her own mom without snitching on Nicky, so she was forced to find her own way home and resented being caught up in this secrecy. It would have been much more enjoyable to just go skating.

"Thank you," she murmured to the driver, before emptying out the entire contents of her wallet into his hand.

She tucked a strand of her hair that had come loose from her ponytail, behind her ear and then slung the duffel bag back over her shoulder. She walked slowly up the stairs to the apartment. Though it was late, the baby was probably up fussing for another feeding by now and the lights on in the living room suggested that it wouldn't be easy to just sneak past her mother to her room.

"So, that's why it's my favourite-" Walking through the door, Ceci happened upon a surprisingly cozy sight. Elena broke off mid-sentence and turned to stare at her sister with wide eyes. Her left hand was set flat on the table in front of her with freshly polished purple nails, while Gloria held her right in hers and was painting it for her.

"Hi, Ceci," Elena said softly.

"How was skating?" asked Gloria. "Did Galina drop you off?"

"Yeah, it was fine," Ceci brushed her off, hoping that her mother wouldn't confer with her friend to double check her story.

Ceci dropped the duffel bag next to the door and started removing her coat and her shoes. Her phone was vibrating in her pocket without pause. Ceci didn't check it until she had sped past her mother and sister, shut the bedroom door behind her, and threw herself on top of her bed. She had several text messages. Nearly all saying the same thing. And they were all from Nicky.

"_I'm sorry...please don't be mad at me." _

"_Ceci...please?"_

"_I just want to know that you're okay... Did you make it home safe?"_

"_I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"_

"_I just want to know that you're okay…"_

Though irritated, Ceci typed up a hurried _"I'm fine." _to Nicky and then rolled over onto her side. She had no intention of speaking to her anymore tonight. There was a gentle knock. She could hear her mother's voice calling her name. Ceci groaned loudly and buried her face underneath her pillow.

"Gloria, go away," she said.

The door opened up partially. "I just need to know that you're okay, honey," Gloria said quietly. "Did something happen? Did you and Nicky have a fight?"

"No!" Ceci exclaimed, tossing the pillow off of herself and turning over to glare at her mother. "I hurt my ankle skating, but other than that it was really fun."

"You hurt your ankle?" Gloria asked. "Can I take a look at it? Maybe you need to see a doctor…"

"It's fine," Ceci said impatiently. "I can bear weight on it and everything. I just need to sleep."

"I could get you an ice pack-"

"No!" Ceci almost shouted.

The light from the hallway was receding, as Gloria began to close the door shut again. "I love you, Ceci," she said quietly. "Goodnight."

Left alone again, Ceci rolled back to face the wall. In the living room, she could hear the quiet voices of her mother and sister chatting to one another. Though it wasn't long, before she could hear footsteps padding down the hall again. This time it was Elena. Her sister came into the room and tucked herself into her bed before saying anything.

"You didn't really go skating tonight, did you?" It was a statement, more than a question.

"Since when are you and mom so chummy?" Ceci shot back, in an accusatory tone.

"Maybe you should stop leaving me for Nicky if you don't want me getting close to somebody else," Elena retorted angrily. "You never want to do anything with me…"

"And she does?" Ceci demanded.

"I think my night with mom seemed a lot more fun than your night," Elena snapped back. "You know, I almost hope Nicky's social worker finds out what she's doing. Then maybe she won't be around anymore."

"Are you going to snitch on her?" Ceci asked worriedly. "I didn't tell you about it so you could make trouble."

"Nicky is the one making trouble for herself," Elena replied. "And if you were any sort of friend, you'd tell mom. You aren't doing Nicky any favours by lying for her."

With that, Elena threw her covers back off herself and stood up.

"Where are you going?" asked Ceci.

"To be with mom," Elena said simply, before leaving the room.

As soon as the door was closed behind her sister, Ceci buried her head back underneath her pillow once again. She could hear laughter through the walls, knew she would be welcomed with open arms if she chose to join them, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her phone was still vibrating next to her but Ceci refused to look at it. She had never felt more conflicted in her life, betrayed on all fronts, and now even her sister couldn't understand.

**Thank you for reviewing Boris Yeltsin, wallscollide, Guest, Johanna-002, A Star in My Universe, Juliette45, and galinareznikovlove. **


	4. Chapter 4

Ceci tossed and turned for a long time than night, and overslept the next morning. She still lingered in the shower longer than was necessary and took her time with breakfast and getting dressed. When she finally made it downstairs to the store, her mother didn't say a word to her about the lateness of the day. She was busy ringing through a line of customers anyway. Gloria simply flashed her daughter a small smile and waved her towards the cooler where different cases of pop were stacked to fill it.

Before she got to work, Ceci stuck her earbuds in and turned up the music on her iPod to drown out the sounds of the activity around her. It was a song that her grandmother had loved whenever it came on the radio, and it made Ceci's heart surge with a peculiar sense of longing. She missed her, and yet, if she was being truthful, she knew she hadn't been completely happy there either. Not since her mom had left. It seemed like she was forever destined to have these empty spaces. That's what happened when you grew up with your family divided.

"Whew, these people are crazy!" Gloria exclaimed, patting Ceci on the shoulder. Though she had heard her perfectly fine, Ceci was inclined to pretend to the contrary.

"Sorry, did you say something?" she asked, pulling the earbuds out and raising her eyebrows.

"How's the ankle today?" Gloria asked.

"Fine…"

"Was everything okay upstairs when you left?"

"Depends what you define as okay," Ceci shrugged. "Elena got it into her head to feed Julio a snack of peanut butter and crackers, and he made an absolute wreck of the floor. I think the other one was napping"

"Sounds pretty standard," Gloria smiled. "I'm surprised you were able to sleep through all that."

"I had nothing better to do," Ceci replied.

"Well, actually, you were supposed to be down here," Gloria said. "But I'll let it go this time. Once you fill the pop cooler and clean out the bathroom for me, you can call it a day."

"Works for me," Ceci shrugged. She stuck her earbuds in and turned back to the fridge. She could feel her mother's eyes on her and could sense that she wanted to say more, probably about last night. It was to her credit that Gloria didn't bring up how Ceci had lashed out at her. She probably guessed correctly that her daughter would not want to hear it. Besides, it hadn't really been about either of them anyway.

The bell hanging over the door chimed, and Gloria turned to see Nicky entering the store. Nicky looked a little worse for wear. Her curly hair was completely unruly and she had makeup smudges under both of her eyes from the night before. In one hand, she carried a cloth shopping bag.

"Hey, Gloria," Nicky said cheerfully, setting her bag on top of the counter. "Red wanted me to bring you this. Said she accidentally made too much."

"What is it?" Gloria asked, peering into the bag and then pulling out a ceramic dish. "A pie? How does a person accidentally make an extra pie?" She smiled. Galina was always making her extra dishes on purpose. Usually she brought them over herself, a convenient excuse to get out of her apartment and come by for a visit-not that she would have ever needed a reason. This time though, it seemed that Nicky had beat her to it.

"Yeah, I think she was lonely or something last night with just Dmitri for company," Nicky shrugged. "Because when I got back the place was immaculately clean, my laundry was put away, and she had done all this baking."

"That should settle any doubts you have about how much you mean to her," Gloria said gently. "Because I've never seen her happier."

"Yeah…" Nicky flushed slightly. She was often told how happy she made her foster mother, but it was still hard to believe after years of feeling unwanted and being rejected. She kept waiting for the novelty of herself to wear off. It was maybe why she found it impossible to give up her old destructive habits. She was afraid to get too comfortable, since the loss of this home would hurt more than any of the others.

"She wants you guys to come over for dinner tonight," Nicky said, changing the subject. "She told me to invite you."

"That sounds great," Gloria said. She watched as Nicky's eyes focused onto Ceci, who hadn't turned around or acknowledged her presence at all yet. That was strange in itself. Something must have happened last night between the girls, she wondered if Galina would have any insight for her.

Picking up the pie in her hand, Gloria decided to go put it upstairs and give the two girls a little bit of space. She could trust Ceci to handle any customers they received for a short period. Before leaving, she walked around to the back to let her daughter know where she was going. She was pleased to see that Ceci was working effectively today.

"Take a break and go say hi to Nicky," Gloria suggested softly.

Ceci pursed her lips together and removed her earbuds slowly once again. This time she shoved them into her pocket. Her eyes caught her mother's.

"I just need to run this upstairs and check on the kids," Gloria explained.

She took the back door, that had an interior staircase to go upstairs to the apartment. Ceci leaned her back against the pop cooler and sighed. When she finally walked towards the front where Nicky was waiting, it was with dragging feet and stiffened legs.

"What are you doing?" Ceci frowned, catching Nicky sitting behind the counter in front of the register.

"Holding the fort down," Nicky replied. "Until your mom gets back."

"Pretty sure she intended that to be my job," Ceci crossed her arms over her chest.

"I think she wanted me to assist you," Nicky said.

"No, I don't think so," Ceci shook her head.

"Soooooo...you are mad at me," Nicky groaned, collapsing her head down onto the counter. She stared up at her friend with big brown puppy dog eyes. "I said sorry in every way I know how to last night."

"I know," Ceci said dryly. "You blew my phone up last night."

Nicky stuck out her bottom lip pitifully. "You weren't answering me," she pointed out.

"Because I didn't want to talk to you," Ceci replied. "Much like right now, although you're making yourself pretty hard to avoid."

"You're coming over to my place tonight for dinner," Nicky told her. "Our moms already made plans. So, you can't avoid me forever."

"Maybe I'll have a headache tonight and stay home by myself," Ceci shrugged indifferently.

"You can't," Nicky lifted her head, looking worried. "Then Red will know something is up."

"Something is up," Ceci said angrily. "I had to blow all my money on a cab last night because I couldn't take another minute of your crap."

"I'll pay you back," Nicky pleaded.

"I just don't understand you," Ceci shook her head. "Galina and Dmitri have been so good to you, and you've been disrespectful and lying to their faces this entire time."

"It's more complicated than that," Nicky protested. "I have a problem. It's not my fault."

"Then maybe you should get some help for your problem," Ceci said.

"You don't understand," Nicky groaned desperately. "I'll just get sent back to juvie if anyone found out."

"They're not going to send you away, Nicky," Ceci sighed. "They love you. They're completely devoted to you. Even if you haven't been with them that long."

"It's not their choice," Nicky replied urgently. "I'm a ward of the state. I'm not really their kid."

"So, what do you want from me?" Ceci asked wearily.

"Just stop being mad at me," Nicky said. "I'm going to fix this on my own. Please? A person can only apologize so many times."

"Apologies mean nothing if you don't change your behaviour," Ceci told her. "Look at me! Gloria got pregnant with Julio and called promising things would just take a little bit longer and she was sorry, and then what happened? Bam...pregnant again! Different father too…"

"What's your point?" asked Nicky.

"My point is I'm tired of paying for everyone else's shitty choices," Ceci exploded. "I just don't get it. It's like y'all have an incessant need to self-destruct!"

"You sound just like my mom," Nicky scoffed.

Ceci blinked. "Red?" she asked.

"Red's not my mom," Nicky shook her head. "I wouldn't wish that on her."

Ceci paused. She rarely thought about the person Nicky was before she met her. Even before juvenile hall, or causing dysfunction at every foster home she was placed in. What had happened to this girl to make her as angry as she was? Who were these mystery people who had let her down and forgotten her?

She knew from listening to Galina and her own mom talk, that Nicky's mother had passed away about a year before she had entered the system. Nicky's parents had been divorced and her father had not stayed very involved in her life. She'd lived primarily with her mother and now seldom spoke of her. Maybe it was too painful to remember. Or maybe Nicky just didn't miss her very much. That had to come with its own peculiar form of guilt.

"Do you want to talk about your mom?" Ceci asked gently.

"No," Nicky said, a little too quickly to be believable.

"You listen to me complain about my mom all the time," Ceci pointed out. "You can say anything you want to me. I won't judge."

"How could you?" Nicky asked sadly. "We both know how it feels to not belong in our own family."

XXX

"Julio, do you want to watch cartoons?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" the toddler gleefully replied, scrambling up onto the sofa and bouncing in place. Galina smiled, walking over to her husband's chair and swiping the remote control off of the armrest. Dmitri's sound of protest was ignored, as she pointed it at the television and switched off the show that he had been watching.

"You know, you could have at least asked," Dmitri complained.

"But if you had said no, I would have still done it anyway," Galina replied coyly. She turned to a channel of cartoons and then placed the remote control back down. For good measure, next she tugged at the blanket Dmitri had draped over his lap.

"Watch it, Galya," he warned her, tugging it back.

"I need it for the baby," she informed him. Dmitri threw his hands up in surrender and his wife succeeded in pulling the blanket right off his lap. She spread it down on the floor and then went to a drawer in her coffee table where she kept a few toys for visiting little ones.

"_Mija_, you are way too much," Gloria chuckled. She knelt down on the floor to place Benny atop the blanket, for some tummy time. He stared at the toys Galina placed on the blanket, just out of his reach. Galina sat next to Gloria, and waved a rattle in front of the baby.

"Come and get it, darling," she coaxed him. "Don't you want to crawl?"

"He's so pudgy, he mostly just rolls," Gloria remarked, affectionately squeezing her son's chubby thighs.

"That's okay," Galina said in a babyish voice to Benny, who gurgled back in reply. She gave in. Handing him the rattle, even though he hadn't made any effort to get it himself. Benny's hand wrapped around the handle. He shook it half-heartedly a few times before he accidentally dropped it.

"Waaaaaaaa," the baby cried out, dropping his head back down onto the blanket in defeat.

"Life is just so hard for you," Gloria told him, in mock sympathy. She picked him up, plopping him down on his bottom now so he could sit upright and play. He preferred this position.

"Let's go finish our desserts before he comes up with something else to be disgruntled with," she suggested. Galina nodded, and slowly got up from the floor to follow her back into the kitchen.

"You can take these with you," Dmitri said, holding out his dishes for her to take.

"Girls, you don't have to do that," Galina exclaimed, walking back into the kitchen to find Ceci and Elena had cleared the table and were stacking up the dirty dishes to be washed.

"That's what I told them," Nicky said, before stabbing a piece of chocolate cake with her fork.

"Yes," Galina nodded, setting her husband's plates down and turning around to squint at her foster daughter. "Nicky will help me with them later. Won't you, honey? Would you girls like some more cake instead?"

"No thanks," Ceci replied.

"We're full," Elena added.

"Not to mention someone came by with a pie for us this afternoon that is sitting in my refrigerator waiting to be eaten," Gloria said, sitting back down at the table and taking a small bite of her own cake anyway. "I think you get a kick out of sabotaging my diets."

"Well, if you're going to keep waking up at the crack of dawn to do exercise classes, you might as well give your body something satisfying to burn off," Galina shrugged. Gloria had tried several times in the beginning of their friendship to convince her to attend the gym with her, but she had never succeeded in getting her there. Galina felt she woke up early enough to begin work, and anything more would be inhumane.

"Do you want to have some Bailey's in coffee with me to go with the cake?" Galina offered.

"Sure," Gloria gave in, "but just a little. Tonight's a school night. I've got to get going pretty soon."

"Why don't you girls go hang out in Nicky's room?" Galina suggested.

"I guess that's our cue to leave," Nicky said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and then getting up from the table. She beckoned to Ceci and Elena to follow her. "If you're going to talk about us, make sure you say lots of nice things."

She led the way out of the room, though both of Gloria's daughters seemed reluctant to follow. They walked slowly behind her, not looking at one another, though Elena exchanged a questionable glance with her mother before disappearing down the hall. Galina wasn't paying much attention though. She had gotten two matching mugs out of the cupboard and had poured coffee into both. Now she was adding a splash of the liquor to each.

"Does something seem off about them to you?" Gloria asked.

"What do you mean?" Galina carried their mugs to the table and then sat down in the seat directly beside her friend. She rested her elbow on the back of her chair and looked at Gloria curiously.

"They hardly said a word to one another at dinner," Gloria said. "Didn't you notice? They didn't want to sit next to each other either."

"I don't know," Galina shrugged, bringing her cup to her lips. "Nicky said Ceci didn't enjoy ice skating and that's why she went home early, but she wasn't mad at her for leaving. Did Ceci say anything to you when you picked her up?"

Gloria blinked. "I thought you picked them up?"

"No, only Nicky because Ceci left early," Galina replied. "And actually, Dmitri went to get her. I dropped them off."

"Then how did Ceci get home?" Gloria asked, looking alarmed.

Galina pursed her lips. "Are you sure she went straight home?" she asked. "Maybe she went to go meet somebody else and didn't want Nicky to know?"

"No, she wouldn't have," Gloria shook her head. "That's one of the main things we fight about. Her saying she doesn't have any friends here, aside from Nicky. Who else would she go see?"

"Well, what time did she get home?" asked Galina.

"Ten?" Gloria thought to herself. "No, it was closer to eleven."

"Well, Dmitri didn't pick Nicky up at the rink until twelve," Galina replied. "So, that sounds about right."

"I don't have a clue," Gloria said. "All I know is when Ceci got home, she was upset."

"You're sure she doesn't have any other friends?" Galina asked. "Maybe she left to meet up with a boy?"

"Mmm…" Gloria shook her head. "That sounds more like something I would have done, and Ceci is a lot better than I was at her age."

She sighed. She wished she had the sort of relationship with her daughter where she could ask her about things without making it feel like an interrogation. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to bring up Ceci's mode for getting home last night, because then she would have to punish her for breaking the rules and that would do nothing to help ease the tension that so strongly existed between them.

She picked up her own cup and took a long sip. In the background, Julio was singing loudly along to a song on the television and Benny was laughing at him. The door to Nicky's bedroom was closed tightly. No clue as to what was going on there, but Nicky had been the only girl who seemed to be acting like everything was fine between them tonight. Elena had barely spoken, and Ceci seemed awkward around her friend. She knew there was more to this story than Ceci leaving because she didn't want to skate.

"Mami?" Gloria knew who the voice belonged to before she even turned her head, but she still startled at it anyway. It had been such a long time that she had been addressed by Elena with such warmth and endearment. Trying not to let it show what a big deal it was on her face, Gloria smiled at her daughter and held out an arm to her invitingly.

"Yes?" she asked, her heart swelling in her chest as Elena stepped into the crook of her arm and leaned into her.

"Can we go now?" Elena mumbled.

"Soon," Gloria promised, giving her a squeeze. "Are you tired?"

Elena shrugged.

"What are your sister and Nicky doing?" asked Galina.

"Talking," Elena said softly. "And ignoring me."

"Well, why don't you stay out here and keep us company then?" Gloria suggested. She pulled a chair closer to herself so that Elena could sit down right beside her. She felt bad about her being excluded from the older girls, but a part of her was grateful for the push it gave her daughter to seek her out.

"See, they're talking," Galina said gently, giving Gloria a meaningful look.

"Yeah," Gloria agreed. She wished she could be a fly on the wall. Maybe nothing at all was amiss but she still felt an odd lump in the bottom of her stomach.

Nicky was kept on a pretty short leash. Her foster parents seldom let her go anywhere unless one of them was picking her up and dropping her off. Given her history, they needed to keep close tabs on her and Nicky was always agreeable to them. She'd never given them any sort of trouble, or talked to them the way that Ceci so often spoke to her. Even if they were still feeling one another out, and Nicky hadn't been there that long, there was a level of respect in this home that Gloria's still was lacking. Galina treated Nicky like a daughter, whether the girl considered her her mother or not. She didn't walk around on the eggshells that Gloria felt she was constantly navigating.

Truly, Gloria was becoming tired of it. She didn't have many rules. She didn't care if her kids made their beds, did their homework just as soon as they came home, or stayed up a little too late sometimes. What she did care about, was that the were safe. Ceci had a cell phone her mother paid for and was allowed to go essentially anywhere she wanted, if she let her know where that was. Gloria gave her no reason to be secretive, and the more she thought about it, the more irritated she became. She was done with trying to be a friend to someone who rejected her at every turn. Ceci needed to be parented, and Gloria wasn't going to tiptoe around doing her job any longer.

**Thanks for reviewing Johanna-002, wallscollide, whenaspritemeetsaunicorn, Guest, galinareznikovlove, A Star in My Universe, and Guest. **


	5. Chapter 5

Later than night, Gloria went back downstairs to tie up some loose ends in the store. She had been in such a hurry to get everyone ready to go visit that she had put off preparing the bank deposit that she would need to drop off sometime tomorrow. She turned the dial to unlock her safe and fished out the baggie she put all of the cash into at the end of each day. She kept a running total of how much gross profit she'd earned, and she was the only one who knew the safe's combination. Considering Ceci's recent deception, this had probably been a wise decision, although it pained Gloria to admit that she could not trust her own daughter.

As she dumped the change into a pile on top of the counter top, Gloria grinded her teeth back and forth together. She'd almost left this to the morning, she was tired enough, but she'd known if she'd remained upstairs in the apartment with just Ceci awake, she would have confronted her right then and there and demanded some answers. Gloria didn't want to do that though; she didn't want to start an argument. So, she'd decided to finish up her work and leave Ceci in peace to complete the homework she'd been doing at the kitchen table. They'd talk in the morning, when they were both fresh, whether Ceci was receptive to her or not.

She'd certainly been quiet since she'd left the Reznikovs. This was not unusual in itself, but knowing that Ceci had lied to her at least once made everything she did feel clouded over with suspicion in Gloria's eyes. The obvious distance she'd sensed between her daughter and Nicky might not mean anything more than common drama between friends, or it might explain why Ceci had left the skating rink and been deceptive about how she had gotten home.

"Okay," Gloria murmured to herself, yawning loudly as she pulled out a stack of bills from the bag. Fives, tens, twenties...she sorted them all into separate piles to make it easier to count. She used a calculator to rack up her total, before matching the number to the sales revenue she'd printed off the computer.

"What the-" Gloria's brow creased when she realized that they didn't line up, and it wasn't a slight difference either. According to the End of Day paperwork, Gloria's deposit was short by one hundred and fifty dollars. A serious error, if ever there was one. She kept a running float of about one hundred dollars in change in her register. The end of each shift required counting out that original one hundred, before transferring the rest of the contents to the safe.

The only explanation Gloria could accept at the moment was that she had somehow miscounted in her hurry to get out the door before. She opened the cash register and immediately noticed that it looked no fuller than usual. Ignoring this, Gloria began to count anyway. Adding up every quarter, nickel, and dime until it totalled the expected one hundred. There was no extra money forgotten there. Still, Gloria refused to accept another possibility. She counted and recounted the money she had for deposit, checked in the safe, and under the counter for anywhere the money might have been misplaced. It did not turn up though.

Shoving the register and her deposit baggie impatiently back into the safe; Gloria turned the dial to secure it and then stormed up the stairs to her apartment in a trail of fury. It took all of her willpower to refrain from yelling. Julio and Benny had both fallen asleep on the cab ride home and had remained sleeping soundly when Elena and she had carried them up to bed. Gloria had waited until Elena had turned in herself, before she'd gone to finish up work, and she had no intention of disturbing any of her three. Though she did have several things to get out between her and Ceci.

"Where is it, Ceci?" Gloria had not intended to sound so accusatory, but as soon as she'd laid eyes on her daughter, all sense of reason went out the window. How could it be that the first time she'd left her unsupervised for a few minutes in the store, was the first time a significant amount of cash disappeared?

Ceci, stretched out on the living room sofa having completed all her homework, frowned as her mother flicked off the television. "What are you talking about?"

"The missing money," Gloria said sharply. "You know, if you needed some cash, all you had to do was ask."

"I don't know anything about that," Ceci replied indifferently. "But nice to know you don't trust me...great."

"Trust is earned," Gloria snapped. "You lost my trust when I discovered you lying about the most inconsequential things...Galina did not escort you home from skating last night, did she? So, how did you get home?"

"I took a cab myself," Ceci answered. "It's not rocket science…"

"It's not allowed!" Gloria exploded. "Terrible things can happen to little girls like you in New York City at night."

"I am not a little girl," Ceci seethed. "And terrible things can happen in Puerto Rico too, but you had no problem leaving me there all alone."

"You were never alone, Ceci," Gloria shook her head. "Do you want to go? We can go right now. Say what you need to say to get that ever-growing chip off of your shoulder."

"Actually, I don't want to say anything to you," Ceci replied, swinging her legs off the side of the sofa and getting to her feet. "I'm going to bed…"

"Not until you tell me what happened to that one hundred and fifty dollars," Gloria said. When her daughter tried to get around her anyway, she gripped tightly onto her shoulder.

"Let go of me," Ceci tried to shrug her off.

"Absolutely not," Gloria said calmly. "You're making yourself pretty hard to believe right now. If it was an honest mistake, just tell me. Otherwise, I don't know what I'm supposed to think…"

"Always assuming the worst of me, aren't you?" Ceci succeeded in breaking free of her mother's grasp. "I wasn't the only one you left unattended in that store, and I'm not the one with the history of stealing either…"

"You mean Nicky?" Gloria asked, but Ceci merely rolled her eyes and turned on her heel to go to the bedroom that she shared with her sister.

Gloria didn't stop her this time. She watched Ceci slam the door behind her with a thump. She'd like to have questioned her further, but now she had a possible explanation that did not incriminate her daughter, and it seemed more likely as well. Nicky did have a history of stealing that preceded her, and old habits were challenging to break. Gloria didn't see why Ceci would even hint at her friend being responsible if it wasn't true. Maybe this is why the girls had seemed so tense.

"Cecelia?"

"Go away," came the response in the dark. Gloria ignored this. She had given her daughter several minutes to cool down before she'd followed after her. The room was dark aside from the street lights shining through the window. Elena was fast asleep-Gloria could hear her heavy breathing, inhaling and exhaling at a steady pace. She sat down at the foot of Elena's bed and stared at Ceci.

"Do you think Nicky stole from me?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," Ceci said, after a moment's pause.

"You didn't see anything suspicious?" Gloria asked. "I wasn't gone that long…"

Ceci hesitated. "I didn't see anything…" she replied, "but she was behind the counter after you left and I wasn't watching her the whole time."

"Okay…" Gloria nodded.

"All I know is that it wasn't me," Ceci replied.

"I know," Gloria said. "I believe you."

"Yeah, right," Ceci scoffed.

"I do," Gloria said. "I should have considered the possibility that it was Nicky before I accused you because I know you wouldn't willingly get your friend in trouble for something she didn't do. She's just been staying out of trouble so well since she moved in with Galina."

"That's what you think," Ceci said dryly.

Gloria sighed and pushed up with her hands on her thighs. "You know I can't keep this to myself, right?"

"Just don't tell Nicky or Red that you heard it from me," Ceci said, burying her face against her pillow.

"Does any of this have something to do with why you left the skating rink last night?" Gloria asked.

"No comment," came the muffled reply. She was angry at Nicky, but she wasn't _that _angry. Just because she refused to take the blame for something her friend did, did not mean she wanted to be responsible for getting Nicky taken out of the best home she'd had and thrown back into a merciless system. She just hated being in the middle.

XXX

Once Gloria and her children had gone home for the night, Dmitri reclaimed his control over the television. He switched it back to his preferred channel and snacked on more of the dessert cake that his wife served to him. The apartment felt cozy and calm, with its three occupants going about their own business in close proximity to one another. Galina chatted on the phone happily to her youngest daughter-in-law, pausing when Nicky wandered in and out of the kitchen to get her signature on a permission slip for school and to ask her a question about homework.

"She seems very at home," Lida observed, once Galina came back on the line.

"I hope so," Galina said tentatively, watching Nicky walk back to her bedroom and shut the door. "I think she's comfortable..."

"I have no doubt," Lida affirmed. "The very first time Vasily brought me home you made me feel like I'd been a part of the family my whole life. It's a gift of yours."

"I love my family," Galina smiled. "The more of you, the better, as far as I'm concerned. That's why I need to get everyone back this weekend for a dinner or something. I'm not waiting until Christmas to have you all under the same roof with me again."

"We'll be there," Lida promised.

"I had Gloria and her kids over tonight," Galina said. "I wish you could have seen Benny. He has the chubbiest cheeks. You would not have been able to resist him."

"Stop hinting, Ma," Lida giggled. "You'll get grandchildren out of me when I'm good and ready. Upon which time, I fully expect you to be a very eager babysitter when Vasily and I want a night out. It will be exhausting. So, enjoy these quiet days with just Nicky while you still can."

"That I definitely am," Galina promised.

"She's a very lucky girl," Lida said. "Have you given more thought to making the situation permanent?"

"Yes," Galina said vaguely.

"Vasily told me," Lida said. "I think that's wonderful."

"I knew just as soon as we brought her home," Galina said softly, looking back towards Nicky's closed door. "She's been bounced around so much, the poor girl."

They spoke for a few minutes together, while Galina ran a damp cloth over all of the kitchen surfaces. Nicky had helped her wash the dishes, once their guests had left, and Galina hadn't been able to detect any cause for concern the way Gloria had. Nicky claimed that any tension felt was between the two sisters, since Ceci hadn't wanted her little sister hanging around. She talked her foster mother's ear off about everything under the sun and joked around in a way that reassured Galina that all was well in her little home.

"I'm heading to bed," Galina announced, hanging the cloth over the sink faucet to dry. She turned to look at her husband and had to roll her eyes at the sight of him snoring in his chair. Dmitri had cake crumbs down his front and dirty dishes stacked beside him. Deciding against waking him, Galina turned the TV off and dimmed the lighting. She picked up the blanket she had spread on the floor for Benny and tucked it around her husband. Then she picked up his dishes to go place in the sink.

On her way to the bathroom to shower and change into pajamas, Galina paused outside of Nicky's closed door. All was quiet, which was as it should be. There was no television allowed in the bedroom and even the radio wasn't supposed to be played when Nicky was doing her school work. She was expected to work on it every single evening after supper, but on the weekends, Galina was more flexible about when Nicky decided to do it. She still checked over it every single school night without fail.

At sixteen, perhaps it shouldn't have been necessary, but considering Nicky's history, Galina considered it to be simply good mothering to be vigilant about school work. Nicky had never given her any grief about it anyway. She knew what to expect and complied with all of Galina's rules with a level of agreeableness that perhaps should have been suspicious, if Galina hadn't been simply so pleased about it. And so, it was with a smile that Nicky greeted her twenty minutes later when she walked into her bedroom.

"Almost done," Nicky said, "I just have two more math problems to figure out." She was sitting cross legged on her bed with a binder open in front of her and books scattered around. Her backpack had tipped off of the mattress, spilling more books onto the floor.

"Very good," Galina praised, stepping over Nicky's backpack as she made her way over to sit on the small spot of available space left on the bed. She leaned her back against the wall and adjusted a button of her navy blue silk pajamas while she listened to the sound of Nicky's pencil scratching against the paper and waited for her to finish.

The bed they were sitting on, was a single that Yuri had slept in. Against the other wall was the set of bunk beds that Maxsim and Vasily had shared. She had kept them in case she was ever asked to foster multiple children, but since Nicky was her first and only, the only time they were utilized was when Ceci slept over and used the bottom bunk. The neatly made up top bunk had a cold, unfriendly look.

"Finished!" Nicky exclaimed, throwing her pencil down a few minutes later. She linked her fingers together and cracked her knuckles, which was a sound that made Galina involuntarily wince. "Do you want to check it?"

Galina held out her hand for Nicky's workbook and set it in her lap. She perched her reading glasses on the tip of her nose and stared down at the page. Trigonometry; Galina didn't remember how to do it, and strongly suspected they had probably changed how it was done since she'd been in school anyway. However, beside each problem was a long process of shown work, with multiple erase marks and rewrites to show that Nicky had taken the assignment seriously. Right or wrong, Galina was satisfied.

"You know, honey, I was wondering if you'd like to do some redecorating with me this week?" Galina asked, handing Nicky back her book.

"Like what?" Nicky asked skeptically. She leaned down to pick up her backpack from the floor and began stuffing books into it.

"Whatever you'd like," Galina replied. "We can paint the walls any colour you want. Maybe blue? If that's your favourite. Buy a new comforter, new curtains. Posters for the wall. We could even get rid of the bunk beds so you have more floor space. We have a cot folded up in our closet for guests anyway."

"Really?" Nicky asked, looking touched and a little embarrassed. She focused on stuffing all her books back into the backpack and then zipping it up slowly. She got up to set it on the floor by the door, and Galina waited until she was seated back on the bed with her before she continued.

"I'd like this to be your forever home, if you agree," she said gently, her talk with Lida making her feel brave.

Nicky's eyes lowered to the floor as she bowed her head in shame. As far as rooms went, this one with three beds crowded into it and a tiny closet was incomparable to the huge one she had grown up in. The bedroom in Marka's townhouse had been equipped with an ensuite bathroom and a walk-in closet on the fourth floor she shared with her nanny. Her mother worked long hours at the office and often hadn't been able to make it home before she was tucked in bed. Nicky loved the feeling of having parents right across the hall, mere steps away, and she felt a strong pang of guilt for the fact that was ruining everything for herself. Galina really had no idea.

"I'm the first kid you ever fostered," Nicky said dryly. "Don't you want to check out a few more before you go all in? I'll be eighteen and gone in less than two years anyway…"

"You don't have to be," Galina replied. "You can stay here and commute to college or whatever else you want. Even if you do decide to get a place of your own straight after high school, don't you think it would be nice to have a home to come back to whenever you want? I know my boys appreciate having that."

Nicky brought her legs up against her chest and rested her chin on top of them. "That's different though," she said gruffly.

"How is it different?" Galina asked patiently.

Nicky looked up at her with shiny brown eyes. "You're their mom," she said, before burying her face back against her knees. Her next words were muffled, but Galina could still make them out. _"You're not my mom." _

Those words hurt. Like a dagger to the heart. She may not have birthed Nicky; she had known her less than a year. Yet, she had been there daily devoting all of her focus and time to this girl, ahead of everyone else in her life. She provided for her, loved her, listened to her. She did everything a mother should do. In her opinion, she did it better now than she even had the first time with her sons, because she was older and wiser now. Though apparently that still didn't make her a mom.

"I know you miss her, Nicky," Galina said patiently. "You always will. You'll always love her, and yes, I know, she is always going to be your mom ahead of me. It's okay."

"No, it's not," Nicky mumbled into her legs again. "She doesn't deserve it. Just like _I _don't deserve _you._"

"It's okay to be mad at her for leaving," Galina said. "It doesn't mean you don't love her."

"That's not all I'm mad about," Nicky sniffled. She raised her head, and Galina saw that the tears that had been threatening to fall had been sliding now her girl's face this entire time. There were damp spots on the knees of Nicky's jeans.

"It's going to be okay, Nicky," was all Galina could think of to say. She took her chance, and stroked Nicky's hair off of her face. Some of her curls had stuck to her damp cheeks. "You're going to be just fine."

"I don't want to leave," Nicky's voice was pleading. She shot a nervous glance at her foster mother, who realized at once that even after expressing her own desire to make this situation permanent, that Nicky still had serious doubts. Perhaps even more than before, as a consequence of not responding in the way Galina had hoped. Maybe it was all too much, too soon. Just Lida bringing it up had made Galina hopeful they could begin the process now.

"You're not going anywhere," Galina whispered. She moved closer to Nicky on the bed and placed an arm around her waist. She was surprised when Nicky fell back into her, weight crushing against her chest as Nicky openly cried. Desiring nothing else but to be held.

"I miss her," Nicky trembled.

Galina tightened the hold she had on her girl. "Of course, you do," she soothed.

"But she wasn't like...this," Nicky stammered, leaving more heavily into Galina's embrace. "She wasn't a mom like you are."

"I'm glad we're not the same," Galina replied. "Then, maybe, there's enough room in your heart for the both of us. Do you think we could give it a try?"

Nicky nodded her head. She turned her neck and bestowed an affectionate kiss to the silk sleeve covering Galina's arm. It was damp from the tears she couldn't stop crying.

"I'm sorry the world has been so cruel to you," Galina said, rubbing firm circles on Nicky's back. Her mother had died three years ago, she'd gone to live with her estranged father who rejected her when her behaviour became too disruptive. That had preceded many different foster homes, as well as a stint in Juvie, for allegedly stealing cash from a teacher's purse and being picked up by police several different times for skipping school.

"You are so loved," she soothed, repeating the words again, as Nicky crumbled against her. "And you're my girl. There is nothing that could change that."

"Do you promise?" Nicky trembled.

"I promise," came the reply.

**Thank you for reviewing A Star in My Universe, wallscollide, galinareznikovlove, whenaspritemeetsaunicorn, Johanna-002, and guest. **


	6. Chapter 6

Mornings were always a chaotic time in Gloria's home. With everyone going different ways and stepping over one another in their tiny apartment as they scrambled to get out the door on time. Sometimes they'd all wind up at the kitchen table together and get to have something resembling a family meal, while other days her children passed by her in blurs.

Ceci was always the last to rise. She kept an alarm set on her phone and god save anyone who tried to wake her up even a minute sooner. Gloria had learned this the hard way. And while Elena usually got out of bed with a smile on a face, she was slow moving in the morning and nearly always the last one to get her shoes on. Julio and Benny both woke up at the crack of dawn no matter what time they were put to bed at night, and trying to keep up with them required all of the coffee Gloria could drink.

"Well, that's just a mess," Gloria commented, as Benny dropped a handful of cheerios onto the linoleum kitchen floor. She shook her head at him, holding tightly to her favourite lavender mug as she leaned against the counter.

"Pretty pleased with yourself, huh?" she observed, as Benny let out a squeal of delight. He concentrated hard on picking up a single cheerio in his pincer grip and babbled to her before actually succeeding in getting this one into his mouth.

It was just Gloria and her boys in the kitchen so far this morning. She could hear the shower running down the hall and knew it wasn't that unusual for Ceci to skip breakfast, especially after an encounter like the two of them had had last night. Elena had been getting herself dressed ten minutes ago when Gloria had gone to check on her, but she decided to give her a little bit more time.

She used the side of her foot to push the spilled cereal into a pile but before she could go fetch the broom and dustpan, she heard a clang from behind. Whirling around, Gloria's eyes widened at the sight of Julio standing in front of the open refrigerator door with a jar of raspberry jam at his feet.

"Julio," Gloria scolded him lightly. She picked up the jar and inspected it for cracks before placing it back into the fridge and closing the door.

"I want more jelly," Julio told her.

"You don't need more jelly," Gloria replied, taking in his sticky face and hands. There were jam fingerprints all over the door to the refrigerator and more jelly stuck on her son's bare chest and hair, since she hadn't had a chance to dress him yet.

"But I want more," Julio protested.

"You've had enough," Gloria told him. She opened the cupboard under the sink and took out a clean rag. She ran it under warm water and then took quick hold of Julio, before he had a chance to make a run for it. She held him tightly in one arm as she used the other to attack him with the cloth, wiping the jam from his hands, face, and tummy, and even some of his hair. She ignored his protesting and didn't release him until she was satisfied, he was reasonably clean.

"Let's go find some clothes," she suggested, tossing the rag onto the counter while her son glared at her in defiance.

"_Ahhhhhhh,_" Benny shrieked.

"Oh, do be quiet," Elena called to him, coming into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a pink hoodie. She picked up the box of cheerios from the table and sprinkled some more onto her brother's tray.

"Don't throw them all on the floor," she warned him.

"Too late," Gloria replied, taking in the mess of the kitchen floor. "Hurry up if you want to have breakfast."

"I know," Elena said smoothly. She stood on tiptoe to get a bowl out of the cabinet and then poured some of the cereal for herself. "Will you do my hair again, Mami?"

Gloria hoisted Julio up into her arms and snuck a glance at the clock. She would have to rush it, but it would be worth it anyways. Getting to do their hair was one of the things that had made Gloria most excited about having daughters. She had always been giving them different styles, using ribbons, bows, and colourful barrettes on them even as babies, and she had always made sure they looked adorable each day for school as little girls. She wondered if Elena had as many positive memories of that time in their lives as she did. Probably, or she would not be asking Gloria to do her hair now when she was more than capable of handling it herself.

"After I dress Julio," Gloria promised.

She carried him down the hall, resisting the urge to knock on the bathroom door and remind Ceci to get a move on. Cecelia was usually good about getting to school on time anyway, and if she happened to be late, Gloria reckoned it would just be easier to write her a note. It wasn't worth the argument. Not when there was already so much tension between them.

She sighed, as she pushed open the door to the boys bedroom and dropped Julio on top of his unmade race car bed. There were toys scattered all over the floor. He had been busy playing in here all day yesterday before they'd gone to Galina's, and they hadn't had time to clean up after. The room was small, with the crib on one side, Julio's bed on the other, and a dresser between them. She opened the second drawer where she kept all of Julio's tops and quickly began to rummage for something for him to wear.

"I want my Thomas sweater," Julio said, catching sight of the blue train sweatshirt in the overstuffed drawer. Gloria pulled it out and then quickly picked out a pair of pants and socks to go with it, while Julio jumped on his bed.

"Cut that out," she told him, laying a smack to his bottom. Her son continued to giggle but stopped bouncing.

He held onto her shoulders as she slipped off his pajama bottoms and replaced his overnight pull-up for a fresh one, thinking about how she would need to start potty training him soon. Julio was still young enough that it wasn't that urgent, but he was too smart of a boy to still be using diapers. The girls had both been trained earlier than him, but, as she gently reminded herself, she had been a full-time stay-at-home mom back then with nothing much to do besides take care of her children. Now every part of her day was a rush.

"Arms up," Gloria instructed, slipping the sweater over her son's head and pulling his arms through the sleeves. She helped him put on his pants and then slipped socks onto his little feet.

"Okay...hair," Gloria reminded herself, as she watched Julio scamper out of the room. She snuck a glance at the yoga pants and purple hoodie and decided nobody would be able to tell that she had picked them up off her bedroom floor than morning. She didn't have time to change now anyway.

She rushed into the bathroom that was finally vacant, and pulled out her hairbrush and elastics from the drawer. On her way back to the kitchen, she ran it through her own hair a few times to comb out most of the tangles. Ceci was dressed and there with everyone else now too, and Gloria tried to ignore the fact that Benny had added every last cheerio Elena had poured him to the mess of the floor. He was making snorts of impatience from his high chair, eager to be picked up, but Gloria tuned it out. She wanted to act as if Elena's hair was the only thing that mattered to her right now, so that her daughter would have her full focus for at least five minutes that day

"What kind of hair do you want?" she asked, coming up to stand behind Elena's chair. She tugged at her hair playfully before beginning to use the brush to make long even strokes in it.

"A long braid down the back," Elena replied, bringing her spoon to her mouth for another bite.

"You know you're old enough to do that yourself," Ceci remarked.

"Yeah, but it feels better letting mom do it," Elena replied.

"Someone else playing with your hair always feels good," Gloria agreed, dividing Elena's hair into three parts. She briefly looked up at her oldest and smiled. "Do you want me to braid your hair too?"

"No," Ceci scoffed, looking automatically irritated. She opened the fridge and pulled an apple out of the crisper. At once, Julio was at her side begging for more jelly but she shooed him away just as they heard a knock at the door.

"Good morning!" Lourdes called to them all, letting herself into the apartment. She shook the snowflakes out of heir hair and stomped her boots aggressively on the front mat to remove as much slush as she could.

"Tia!" Julio exclaimed excitedly, sliding across the floor in his socks to wrap his arms around her legs. Lourdes removed her gloves and then patted the boy warmly on the head. She unzipped her coat and unwrapped the scarf from around her throat.

"What a miserable morning out there," she observed, walking over to sit down at a kitchen chair to unlace her boots. "Are you going to tell me why it was so important for me to risk my life on those icy streets now, Mija?" she asked, pulling one boot off at a time and facing Gloria with an expectant look.

"You need to watch the store for me," Gloria reminded her. They had had this conversation last night when she'd called.

"Yes, but why the short notice?" Lourdes demanded. She stole a glance at each child in turn. "You aren't sick, are you?" she asked Ceci.

"No, I'm not sick," Ceci rolled her eyes. "And even if I was, I'm old enough to stay home and take care of myself."

"Unless your mother was insisting on taking you to that doctor I never liked," Lourdes replied. "You'd catch more germs sitting in his waiting room than you'd do resting at home and using one of my home remedies."

"Julio had strep throat, Tia," Gloria sighed, fastening the elastic onto the end of Elena's braid. "I'm pretty sure that necessitated a trip to the doctor. Forgive me."

"You think my mother had time to take me to the doctor for every sore throat?" Lourdes asked.

"Here we go," Ceci rolled her eyes again, as Elena giggled and hopped up off her chair.

"Thanks, Mami," she said, swinging her braid happily from side to side as she went to put on her coat and winter boots.

"So, if nobody is sick, what's the problem?" Lourdes asked again. "You know, you woke me up last night."

"I'll tell you later," Gloria said quietly.

"It's always something with you," Lourdes tsked, eyeing the hairbrush Gloria dropped on the table.

Gloria picked up Benny from his high chair and kissed each of his chubby cheeks. "I won't be long," she reminded her aunt, as she retrieved the little blue snowsuit from the hook by the door and began to zip Benny into it. She looked up when she felt Ceci nudge her in the ribs with her elbow.

"What _are _you doing this morning?" Ceci hissed.

"Going to speak to Galina," Gloria replied calmly. She set Benny down on the floor and then looked around for Julio to dress. He was leaning into Lourdes.

"I want Jelly," Julio informed his aunt.

.

"Well, of course," Lourdes replied, automatically springing up to her feet. She was already headed for the refrigerator when Gloria called her off.

"You can't deny the boy food, Gloria," Lourdes rebuked.

"I can when he decided to paint himself with his first sandwich instead of eating it," Gloria replied dryly, beckoning Julio back towards her. "Besides, I'm already running late."

"Fine," Lourdes through her hands up impatiently into the air. "Sorry, sweetheart, your mother won't let me make it for you."

"You're too much," Gloria rolled her eyes at her, taking Julio by the hand and tugging him over to where his snowsuit was hanging. "All you have to do is watch the store for an hour or so...and maybe don't light a whole bunch of candles again this time."

"I was trying to ward off a bad spirit in the place," Lourdes said stubbornly. "I could sense a dark aura when I walked in."

"Well, that's another suspect if this first theory doesn't pan out," Gloria said dryly, feeling Ceci's eyes narrow at her.

"What are you going to tell Galina?" Ceci asked quietly.

"I'm going to tell her my suspicions and concerns," Gloria replied softly, as she zipped up the front of Julio's jacket. "I'll leave you out of it…"

"You better," Ceci said warningly.

"But if you think there is something that Nicky's mother should know, then you should tell me," Gloria added, plopping a hat on top of Julio's head. "It's not tattling if its for Nicky's own good."

"Oh, what do you know?" Ceci retorted. She glanced at her sister who was waiting quietly by the door. "You coming?"

Elena nodded. "Bye, Mami, bye, Tia," she waved at Gloria and Lourdes, before following her sister, who left the apartment without another word to anyone.

"You want me to run a broom across this floor too, Gloria?" Lourdes asked, frowning down at the mess. "And then maybe a mop?"

"No, leave it for me," Gloria shook her head. Cleaning her floors was the farthest thing from her mind right now. More than anything else what she needed was answers. She was tired of always feeling wrong.

XXX

A couple of blocks over, Galina Reznikov was getting ready to open her own store. She flipped the closed sign in the window around and then gave the space she was so proud of a satisfying smile. The air smelled of freshly brewed coffee and all of the pastries she had cooling on the countertop on trays. Galina wiped her hands on the flour coated apron she was wearing before slipping it off over her head.

She hung her apron back on its hook and selected a mug from the shelf, pouring a cup of the dark roasted brew and then adding just a dash of cream. She had seen Nicky off to school just a few minutes before after strongly debating just keeping her home with her. They could have used a day together and Nicky surely would have benefited from the rest.

She was especially hard to wake that particular morning and she had dragged her feet getting ready, but, as Galina was frequently reminded, she wasn't _really _Nicky's mother. Absences from school were documented and their validation inspected, considering Nicky's record. It simply wasn't worth it to keep her home and then anticipate a visit from the social worker to verify that it was warranted. Galina could hardly wait to make their arrangement official, and be able to parent her daughter without interference.

"Where were you last night?" So lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't heard her husband come downstairs until he was directly beside her.

"Nicky's room," Galina replied simply, bringing her cup of coffee to her lips for another sip. It had been an emotional night, with Nicky clearly feeling way more than she felt capable of expressing at the time. Galina hadn't known what else to do besides hold her while she cried and then settle both of them under the covers together. She might not have all the answers but she could at least be sure that Nicky didn't feel alone when she was so upset. The soreness in her back and shoulders was worth that.

"I thought fostering an older kid would mean I didn't have to worry about that," Dmitri complained, swiping the newspaper off the counter and then taking a seat in a chair at the round table set near the door.

"What's it to you?" Galina frowned, as Dmitri fanned open the paper and buried his face behind it.

"I know how you get," Dmitri replied, sticking his head around the paper at her. "Will you pour me some coffee?"

Galina rolled her eyes but set her own mug down. She poured her husband a cup and then added a heaping tablespoon of sugar and enough cream to turn the dark liquid nearly white.

"Here," she said gruffly, handing it to him.

"You know she's just going to want you to sleep in there again, right?" Dmitri said.

"I doubt it," Galina shrugged. "But I don't see why it matters to you when you slept in a chair all night."

"Because you didn't wake me," Dmitri replied. "And circulation got cut off in my legs somehow. I could hardly walk this morning."

"So that's why you're so late getting down here?" Galina said sarcastically. "I thought you were just hoping I'd have all the work done for when you decided to grace me with your presence."

"I have to pick up an order at the warehouse," Dmitri reminded her.

"Not until this afternoon," Galina replied. "I didn't realize you were only available for half days."

"You complain too much," Dmitri said, sticking his nose back behind the newspaper. "Even if I tried to help, you'd just say that I was doing it wrong."

"I think you just pretend to be bad at everything so people stop asking you for help," Galina said, which only caused her husband to smirk. She had half a mind to rip the paper out of his hand, but before she could react, the bell that hung over the front door chimed and the store was filled with lots of excited chatter and baby coos.

"My favourite boys!" Galina exclaimed, smiling as Gloria pushed Julio and Benny's double stroller inside.

"Don't you have three sons of your own?" Gloria gave her a small smile, glancing at the family photo that hung on the wall near the cash register. "Better be careful."

"Why? They're never here," Galina replied, kneeling down on the floor to unbuckle Julio's straps. "Did you come to visit me?"

"Uh huh," Julio nodded his head. "Did you know we were?"

"No, you surprised me," Galina assured him, which made the little boy smile. She helped him remove his boots and snowsuit, while Gloria worked on undressing Benny's layers.

"Sorry about the mess," she said guiltily, taking in the slushy tire tracks they'd made on the floor as she moved the stroller out of the way of any incoming customers, but Galina just waved off her apology.

"Who's watching your store?" she asked.

"Lourdes," Gloria replied. "I was hoping to talk to you."

"Oh?" Galina raised her eyebrows curiously.

"Yes," Gloria nodded her head. "It's important."

"Okay," Galina said skeptically. She glanced at her husband who seemed oblivious to them all and then nodded her head back over to the counter where they could have a bit more privacy.

"Do you want some coffee?" she offered Gloria. She smiled at Julio. "Do you want a treat?"

"Yes!" Julio cried. She helped him pick one off the tray but Gloria declined a cup of coffee.

"Go eat it at the table," Gloria instructed quietly, adjusting Benny on her hip. The two women watched Julio scamper over to eat his cookie beside Dmitri and then they looked back at one another.

"Okay, this is awkward, so I'm just going to come out and say it," Gloria said hurriedly. "Because if it was one of my kids, I'd want you to tell me."

"What are you on about?" Galina frowned. "Is this something to do with Nicky?"

"I have strong reasons to suspect that she took money from my register when she was over yesterday," Gloria said in a calm but firm voice, looking directly into her friend's eyes.

"Excuse me?" Galina blinked. "What _'strong reasons' _are these?"

"She was caught standing behind the register when she wasn't supposed to be," Gloria said. "And I was short $150 when I counted at the end of the day."

"That doesn't prove anything," Galina replied. "Lots of people go behind your register. Whenever I visit, your kids are all running in and out of there, when you're trying to count up change. You could have made a mistake yourself, trying to multitask like that.

"I sell cigarettes and junk food," Gloria said dryly. "I think I would notice handing someone as much as a week's worth of groceries costs me."

"That still doesn't prove Nicky had anything to do with it," Galina argued.

"No, it doesn't," Gloria agreed calmly. "But someone has to know something. The money is gone and she was near it."

"You're using her past against her," Galina said, pointing an accusatory finger at Gloria. "She has been through so much and has worked so hard to make so many positive changes since she's been here."

"Has she?" Gloria said doubtfully. "Or are you just seeing what you want to see? Ceci seems to be covering for her. Clearly something happened at the skating rink they don't want us to know about."

"Ceci not wanting to speak to you is not my problem," Galina said angrily. "And it doesn't mean that Nicky did anything wrong."

"She has a history of stealing," Gloria reminded her.

"Well, nothing has ever gone missing here," Galina replied. "And I give her an allowance and buy her everything she needs. She doesn't need to steal."

"I'm just asking that you look into it," Gloria said, pressing her cheek against Benny's head to calm herself. "I have four kids to support by myself, that's a lot of money out of my pocket. It would be nice to track down."

"Well, if that's all it is," Galina huffed, throwing her hands up in irritation. She walked over to her own register and slammed it open aggressively. Gloria watched her count out bills totalling $150 before they were thrust into her own face.

"Take it," Galina snapped.

"Whoa…" Gloria took a step back from her, fully aware that Dmitri had looked out from behind his paper and that Julio was watching them anxiously. "That's not what I meant."

"Well, I don't know what else you want me to do when you come over here accusing my daughter," Galina snapped, slamming the cash onto the countertop. "So, take this money and leave Nicky alone."

"Red…" Gloria sighed, using the pet name the kids often called her in a bid to warm her. "I don't want your money. I just asked, mom to mom, that you look into it. If you still don't think she had anything to do with it, then I'll let it go. I'm not out to get her. I just want to figure out what happened because if the money was stolen-and I looked everywhere-then it really is just the beginning of a bigger problem. Alright?"

"Get out," Galina said coldly, crossing her arms across her chest. Her stomach was knotted and the coffee aroma was making her feel slightly nauseous now. Her heart was burning in protective mode. She wasn't going to turn on her daughter like the rest of the world had. She didn't want to dredge up the past, ask accusing questions, and undue all the bonding they had shared thus far. Nicky needed to know that there was at least one person in her life who wholeheartedly believed in her.

"You're a good mom and I'm not trying to start a fight, okay?" Gloria said quietly, taking a step closer to her friend. "Okay? I love you. I'm just talking."

She tried to place her hand on Galina's shoulder, but the red-haired woman jumped back as though she had been burned. She even ignored the way Benny had held out his arms to her. Gloria sighed. This was not at all how she wanted this to go and she thought she'd been as fair as she possibly could be. She'd checked into her own daughter first, and Nicky was the only other person who had been let behind the counter yesterday. It just didn't add up, and right now Gloria was more concerned with uncovering the truth and dealing with it, than she even was about recovering the missing money.

"Galina, maybe we could-"

"Are you finished?" Galina glared at her, "because you're starting to sound finished." She walked away without even giving Gloria a chance to respond, heading up the back stairs that led to their apartment, while everyone watched her assent.

"Well, that went well," Gloria said sarcastically to no one in particular.

"What's going on?" Dmitri asked. Then apparently decided he didn't much care about the answer. "Don't worry, she just gets moody like that sometimes."

"Have a nice day," Gloria told him flatly. She tried to bundle her kids back up as fast as she could. All she wanted was to get out of there. The first customers of the day walked in just as she was heading out. She saw Dmitri rushing off to no doubt call his wife down to help them, and Gloria paused for a moment contemplating having another go at reconciling before deciding it would be a waste of time.

**Sorry about the delay in posting it. I've been dealing with sick kids and Christmas preparations, but I'm hoping to have another chapter posted in a couple of days. Fingers Crossed. **

**Thank you so much for reviewing A Star in My Universe, whenaspritemeetsaunicorn, wallscollide, galinareznikovlove, Johanna-002, and Guest. **


	7. Chapter 7

Even after Gloria had left, Galina continued to replay their conversation in her head getting angrier and angrier as the day wore on. She channeled most of that energy into cleaning, fuming as she scrubbed down every surface in the store until it shone. She served all her customers efficiently, but her mind was a million miles away and she spoke very little. Her lips were pursed together tightly and she was grinding her teeth.

Dmitri had spent most of the day tiptoeing around her bad mood. He went out to run errands as an excuse to get away from the store, and then had lunch alone in the apartment before finally deciding he could avoid her no longer. He walked slowly down the stairs and let himself in through the back of the store. The place was empty, aside from his wife, who he could see was busy counting items on the shelves and then scribbling into a notebook.

"I thought you waited until the end of the month to do inventory?" Dmitri commented, pulling out a chair at the front table to sit down and watch her work.

"Yes, well, it's been slow, so I figured I'd do it now," Galina muttered, peering down at him over the rim of the glasses she wore for reading.

"So far, so good?" Dmitri asked.

"Yes," Galina drew out the word, sounding mildly irritated. She slapped her notebook down onto the table in front of him. Dmitri glanced at it, noting the consistent check marks beside the name of each item and the quantity they were expected to have on hand.

He wanted to ask if she was checking to make sure nothing was missing in response to Gloria's claims, but he didn't have a death sentence. He watched her replace all the items back onto the shelf, the force in her arm with each movement felt aggressive but it may have just been his imagination. Still, he decided it would be wise to get out of there before she turned her temper onto him. After all, if Galina had wanted his help, she would have assigned him a job by now.

"You've been awfully quiet about all of this," Galina said sharply, breaking into his reverie. Dmitri turned back to look at her with a startled expression on his face. He'd missed his opportunity to make a getaway.

"What do you mean?" he asked warily.

Galina raised her eyebrows at him. "Don't you have an opinion?"

"I do, but you won't like it," Dmitri replied, holding his hands up in surrender as he slumped further down in his chair.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

Dmitri took a deep breath. "I think you're acting awfully defensive for someone who thinks she has nothing to be worried about," he said honestly, watching his wife's eyes narrow as she stepped closer to him.

"Gloria has never struck me as the type to make trouble just for the sake of drama," he continued. "What motive could she have had for coming here with her concerns?"

"I think she just doesn't want to face some hard truths about her daughter," Galina answered, pulling the glasses off of her face in irritation.

"I don't think Gloria is the one with that particular problem," Dmitri said.

"You mean me?"

"Gloria didn't have to tell you anything," Dmitri shrugged. "And she didn't want the money you threw at her so what other incentive is there? If it was an issue between Cecelia and herself, she would have just kept it between them."

Galina looked troubled and as if she didn't have a response to any of that. "I didn't...I didn't throw money," she said lamely, making Dmitri roll his eyes.

"Look, I'm not saying that Nicky did anything wrong," Dmitri said. "But I think you should consider the possibility and do a little investigating."

"And prove to her that there really isn't anyone she can wholeheartedly trust to believe the best in her?" Galina replied, winding her finger around the string she wore her glasses on. "Why is it when anything goes wrong, it has to be that poor girl's fault?"

Dmitri just shrugged his shoulders helplessly at her. He didn't have the answers, he hadn't ever wanted to find himself in this position to begin with. He would have been quite content to just enjoy some peaceful years with his wife now that their boys were out of the house. He would have appreciated the quiet and a wife who wouldn't constantly be juggling too many things for everyone else. It would have been nice to focus on themselves and their marriage for a change, but Galina had been eager to start over again with fostering and he'd indulged her. Galina always seemed to get her way.

They were interrupted by the chime of the bell that hung over the front door and rang whenever anyone entered the store. Both parents turned to see Nicky walk in, looking a little worse for wear. Her eyes were red rimmed and she had grass stains on her skirt. She dropped her backpack onto the floor as soon as she drew nearer and then slumped down into the chair next to her foster father.

"What's happening?" she asked dully, by way of greeting.

"The usual," Dmitri replied, as Galina reached down to pick up the discarded backpack. "How was school today?"

"Fine," Nicky replied, drumming her fingers on top of the tabletop.

"Do you have any homework?" Galina asked, unzipping the backpack and balancing on the table as she began to rummage through it. "Where's your agenda?"

"Oh, darn...I think I forgot it in my locker at school," Nicky replied. "Sorry, Red."

"It's okay," Galina said simply. Though she liked to check it over every day to keep up with what Nicky was supposed to be doing, she wasn't going to make a fuss about it. Nicky had been doing well in school since she'd come to live with them. "Just try to remember it for tomorrow."

"I didn't have any work to do tonight anyway," Nicky told her, resting her head in her arms she gazed up at her with glazed eyes. "Just some questions in Geography, but I finished them in class."

"Are you feeling okay?" Galina asked, pressing the palm of her head to Nicky's forehead which was blessedly cool. The mere sight of her girl was doing wonders to the stress Galina had been carrying around all day. She could feel her temper, so close to the boiling point, beginning to ease up. Nicky was home, safe and sound with her now. She wished she could keep her this close always.

"Just tired," Nicky admitted, nudging her foster mother's hand away slightly as she shifted over. "I have a headache."

Galina nodded sympathetically. "Well, I guess that's to be expected," she said, recalling the previous night, which had been emotional for the both of them. "You should go to bed early tonight."

"I'd like to go to bed now actually," Nicky said, yawning profusely. "Would you care?"

"You need to eat supper," Galina replied. She was poking around Nicky's backpack again. This time unzipping the packed lunch she made for her every morning. She wasn't a fan of the food served in the school cafeteria, and had always sent her sons with bagged lunches before too. She was disappointed to note that none of the food had been touched. "Did you eat anything today?"

"Ceci and I split a cream cheese bagel," Nicky told her. "I didn't feel like having more than that, but if you put that in the fridge it will still be good for tomorrow."

"I guess," Galina said, pursing her lips together again.

Dmitri looked between his wife and Nicky, who looked about ready to fall asleep at the table if they didn't excuse her soon. "So... erm...how was Ceci today, Nicky?" he asked awkwardly.

"Okay...I guess," Nicky replied, avoiding both of their gazes.

"Did she have anything interesting for news?" he asked, and Nicky raised her head this time. She noticed Galina dramatically roll her eyes before walking over to the fridge with her lunch bag.

"What do you mean, interesting?" Nicky asked him skeptically. "Do you know something I should? It was just a regular school day..."

"Just making conversation," Dmitri said calmly.

"Yeah, you should stop that," Galina rolled her eyes again. She smirked at Nicky and walked back to rest a hand affectionately on Nicky's shoulder. She gave her a light squeeze.

"Go lie down, honey," Galina instructed her. "I'll be up to check on you soon. I just have a few more things to finish down here."

"Sounds good," Nicky agreed, scrambling to her feet. She took her bag back and slung it over her shoulder, before heading up the stairs that would lead to their apartment. She could sense both of her foster parents' eyes following her but she didn't look back at them. She wondered if they were waiting to question her when they closed up the store or if Ceci had gotten her facts wrong and she was worrying for nothing.

Neither parents had seemed at all upset with her, even if Dmitri had been acting more curious than was typical of him. Nicky just wondered if that was just his way of attempting to get closer to her, if Galina really was serious about wanting to adopt her. Turning the knob in her hand at the stop of the stairs, Nicky sighed and stole a glance back down, accidentally catching Galina's bright blue eyes. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she was growing attached to her and she liked it here. She wasn't going to allow anybody to get between them.

Galina bit the inside of her cheek as Nicky turned away and disappeared into their apartment. Then she turned on her husband and shoved him roughly on the arm.

"Ow!" Dmitri exclaimed, rubbing at a spot above his elbow. "What's wrong with you?"

"Why were you trying to interrogate her?" Galina hissed.

"Just asking questions," Dmitri replied. "That shouldn't trigger anyone unless they have something to hide."

"Well, cut it out," Galina ordered. "If anyone is going to ask Nicky anything, then it's going to be me."

"Why you?" Dmitri complained.

Galina shot him a dirty look. "Because I've been parenting without you for our whole married life. There's no sense in you interfering now."

She picked up her notebook and decided to go put it away and then close for an early day. Though she hadn't completed going through her entire store, she had done enough to be satisfied that everything was as it should be-not that she had had any sincere doubts. She'd just wanted to prove Gloria wrong. If Nicky intended to steal, it would be far easier to have gotten away with it here and her lack of findings convinced her that Gloria was mistaken. It was all that mattered right now.

XXX

A few blocks over, Ceci was walking home from school looking almost as withdrawn as Nicky had. There were some strands of hair that had come loose from her ponytail and she seemed tired. A part of her just wanted to run upstairs to bed and not speak to anybody else that day, but she went into the store instead where she knew her mother would be.

"Hi," Ceci greeted, over the chime of the bells that made Gloria look over at her.

"Hi to you too," Gloria smiled. "How was school?"

"Meh," Ceci groaned, dropping her head dramatically. Then she lifted her chin and stared back at her mother with a sheepish expression.

"Is it okay if I don't work this afternoon?" she asked. "I'm not feeling it."

"It's fine," Gloria assured her with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I feel the same way."

Just like Galina, Gloria had also been replaying their morning conversation incessantly. Only in her case, she was kicking herself for being stupid enough to believe that it could have gone any other way. She should have known that her friend would be dramatic and react badly to what she was saying. Now Gloria was out a friend and nothing was being done regarding the bigger picture, that something very concerning was happening between their girls.

"Tia Lourdes has the boys," Gloria explained.

"Oh," Ceci replied.

"Yeah," Gloria nodded. Julio and Benny had been upset and confused about why they'd needed to leave the Reznikovs so quickly and Lourdes had been able to sense their sour moods just as soon as they'd returned. She'd kindly offered to take the boys for the day and have them returned fed, bathed, and dressed in their pajamas in time for bed. Sometimes she was willing to help her niece and other times less inclined, but Gloria could always depend on her to step in when she really needed her.

"They won't be back until late," Gloria explained, "and Elena texted me that she is staying after school for a meeting with the dance committee. So that means it's just you and me."

"Well, don't go to any trouble for supper then on my account," Ceci said. "I'm really not hungry."

She excused herself before Gloria could say much more which was surprising because she had expected to be interrogated about her visit with Galina just as soon as her daughter had walked in the door. Though she'd been worried about how Ceci would react, this complete lack of interest was even more disconcerting. Her daughter looked so beaten down and depressed, and for once Gloria did not think she was the cause.

Making a decision, Gloria walked over to the front door and switched the sign over to closed before locking it tight. Monday afternoons were typically quiet anyway, she tried to justify herself. She really could have used the money and knew she couldn't make a habit of closing whenever she felt like it, but she also couldn't let the opportunity to be alone with her most distant child pass her by either. Time one-on-one with any of them was rare to behold as a single mother of four. There was never enough time in a day, but right now Gloria intended to make an exception.

She locked away her till and flicked off the lights before following after Ceci. The girls' bedroom door was open ajar so she let herself in after a subtle knock. Happening upon the sight of Ceci with her arms folded over her eyes as she lay back on the bed, Gloria didn't even hesitate to perch herself right down beside her. She wasn't tiptoeing around anymore.

"Do you want to hear how it went with Galina?" Gloria asked, breaking the silence. She heard an incoherent _mpfh!_ From behind Ceci's arms which she took to mean yes, because it didn't really matter. She'd already decided she was going to sit here and talk without inhibition because she couldn't see how things could ever improve between the two of them if they didn't talk. She actually hoped they could get off the subject of Nicky and focus on themselves and their family instead, but it seemed like a good place to start.

"She got mad at me," Gloria said, sounding much less bothered than she felt as she worked to keep her tone light. "She threw me out...before that she tried to throw some cash at me but I told her to stop."

"You should have taken it," Ceci said tiredly, sliding her arms off of her face. "We could have gone on a shopping trip as compensation for having to put up with all their drama. What's with them anyway?"

"Did something happen with Nicky?" Gloria asked. "Because I did keep you out of it."

"That doesn't matter because I confronted Nicky myself about it today," Ceci said, sitting up and bringing her legs to her chest. She wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on her knees.

"You did?" Gloria asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah," Ceci nodded. "I'm not okay with her stealing. There's no excuse for that and I'm positive she's guilty because I don't see another explanation…. I'm even more sure of that now because of the way she tried to guilt me at school today. She couldn't even bring herself to deny it!"

"She guilted you?" Gloria asked quietly.

"Yes," Ceci nodded. "She said I'm going to be the reason she gets thrown back into the system and taken away from the first place she has felt at home since her mom died."

"Well, that's not going to happen but even if it did, it would not be your fault," Gloria assured her. "Nicky makes her own choices. She's not the only one who's had it rough."

"Raised by a nanny, then her mom died without warning, her dad abandoned her, and she's been bumped around from home to home because nobody wanted her," Ceci replied. "I'd say that constitutes more than rough."

"She deserved better," Gloria agreed, "and she has better now. Galina isn't going to send that girl away...Galina would throw Dmitri away before she gave up Nicky."

"I'm not sure that's as reassuring as you intend it to be," Ceci giggled. "But I hope you're right."

"You care about Nicky a lot," Gloria said.

"She's just about the only good thing that has happened to me since you forced me to come live here," Ceci shrugged.

Gloria sighed. "Do you hate it that badly?"

Ceci compressed her lips together tightly before responding. "I miss home," she shared.

"Puerto Rico?" Gloria said.

Ceci shook her head. "It's not even about the place," she replied. "Although I can't say I'm loving this winter...I miss Abuela and sharing that old bed with you and Elena-even though I said I hated it at the time, I had the hardest time falling asleep when you left. There was too much space. Even now, sometimes it's hard for me to sleep alone."

"Well, my room is still always open to you," Gloria offered with a small smile. "Sometimes I find it hard to sleep by myself too."

"I guess that's why you were always trying to find some man to fill it once you got to New York," Ceci said bitterly. She made a face when she heard how much ruder her words sounded when spoken out loud. She glanced at her mother apologetically. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," Gloria replied. "I never thought about it like that before but maybe you're right. I know you don't really believe me, but I missed you girls so much all this time. I was so lonely being here without you. I didn't know a soul in this city except Lourdes, and she wasn't always available to spend time with. I guess I was trying to fill an impossible-to-fill void."

"And how'd that work out for you?" Ceci asked sarcastically.

"Clearly not very well," Gloria said honestly. "Although I'm hoping we're getting back on the right track now."

"That remains to be seen," Ceci said tightly, and what openness she seemed to be temporarily willing to share with her mother was already rescinding, which Gloria wasn't prepared to let happen. She pressed on.

"I hope this doesn't ruin your friendship with Nicky," she said. "You need her, and she definitely needs you."

"I'm not so sure," Ceci replied. "There's a lot I don't like about her."

"Like what?" Gloria pressed gently. "Beside the stealing."

Ceci sighed and plucked at a loose thread in her bed spread. "I think she might be going down a dark path she won't be able to get out of," she said heavily. "I can't work out if she cares too much or not at all...I don't even think she knows the answer to that."

"What do you mean?" asked Gloria.

Ceci looked up at her mother with her wide brown eyes. "We didn't really go skating," she said dryly.

"I worked that out for myself funnily enough," Gloria shook her head. "I would have made it more of an issue, but I decided you had enough common sense to not do anything too stupid. You've always had a good head on your shoulder."

"I came home," Ceci shrugged. "At first I didn't mind just watching the stupid but it all gets to be a bit much when your best friend starts to partake."

"What was she doing?" Gloria asked bluntly. "Drugs?"

"Mmm…" Ceci hesitated. "Nothing too bad...it's not like I was worried for her life or anything. Or I wouldn't have left her."

"Well, with her record even some underage drinking could get her sent back to juvie," Gloria said.

"I know she drinks," Ceci said quietly, plucking even more fiercely at her bedspread. "She sneaks away from campus at lunchtime to smoke weed. I know she's tried cocaine too...she did the night we were supposed to be skating, and I don't think that was the first time."

She took a deep breath and stared up at her mother helplessly. "We should tell Red, mom."

"I'm not sure that will do us much good," Gloria said honestly. "But...I'll try."

"And will they send Nicky back to juvie?" Ceci asked anxiously.

"I don't really know how all of that works," Gloria said honestly. "Whether the social worker will write Nicky up immediately since her foster parents are willing to work with her. I still think it's best to be proactive."

"Yeah," Ceci agreed. "I just don't want her to hate me. We've been really close."

"Leave it to me," Gloria said, trying to be comforting. She'd have loved to take her daughter into her arms, or even just hold her hand for a second, but she didn't dare. This was the closest she and Cecelia had been in ages, and she could tell that Ceci still felt wary. Gloria just longed for a day when all of this could feel natural between them.

"It means so much that you trusted me with this," Gloria said softly. "You know you can always tell me anything."

Ceci nodded her head slowly. "Don't make me regret it."

**Happy Belated Birthday Johanna-002! I know I'm 6 days late. I really wanted to post this on your actual birthday but better late than never, right? Hope you enjoy. **

**Thank you for reviewing wallscollide, whenaspritemeetsaunicorn, Johanna-002, galinareznikovlove, and A Star in My Universe. **


	8. Chapter 8

"You know people make fun of the kids who have their _mom_ walk them to school," Nicky pretended to complain, lightly aiming a kick at the brick wall with the heel of her boot.

Closing the door to the store behind her, Galina rolled her eyes and slipped a pair of black leather gloves over her hands. Aside from the small smile that tugged at her lips, she tried not to show how much being referred to as a mother-even indirectly-by Nicky, meant to her. It temporarily lifted some of the fears that had been weighing on her heavily since yesterday, but only for a moment.

"We're going the same way, "Galina reminded her, "would you prefer me cross the road and act like I don't know you?

"Now why would I want that?" Nicky asked, blinking innocently at her. "You know I don't care what other people say..."

And as if to prove her point, she moved closer and reached out to clutch her foster mother's arm affectionately. She turned her head to offer a salute to Dmitri through the glass door, who waved back from behind the counter he was entrusted with manning while his wife ran her errands. As Nicky and Galina began walking down the street, Nicky dropped her hand but still stuck right at her side and didn't seem opposed to being accompanied on her way to school at all.

"Vasily called while you were asleep last night," Galina said conversationally.

"Oh, yeah," Nicky nodded, "what's he got for news?"

"He said they can't make it to dinner next weekend, something to do with work," Galina sighed, "but he and Lida will be staying over Christmas Eve with us."

"Where are we going to put them?" asked Nicky, raising her eyebrows. "I guess I could give them my bed...I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"The couch folds out," Galina replied. "They can have it."

"You're going to let them sleep in the same bed?" Nicky asked slyly. "I wasn't sure if you'd be funny about that."

"Considering they live together I think it would be sort of pointless, don't you?" Galina chuckled. "But I told Vasily he better get on proposing soon if he knows what's good for him."

"So long as Lida never finds out it was at your suggestion," Nicky replied. "What about Max and Yuri?"

"They'll be along on Christmas day," Galina said, pursing her lips slightly. "Maxsim has finals in all his classes to study for and Yuri is busy with work too. This is the longest I've gone without seeing them…"

She sighed and glanced appreciatively at Nicky. She didn't know what she would do without her. Their home had felt too big once the boys had moved out, which was ridiculous considering its small size, but she had been lonely living there with only her husband. Nicky didn't even realize that her foster mother needed her more than she did. She was the center of her life, loved beyond measure...and the reason that Galina had spent a sleepless night tossing and turning.

The hairs on the back of her neck had not stood down since her conversation with Gloria. The more she thought over everything, the more her denial began to give way to panic. She didn't understand what would drive Nicky to steal, when she had everything she needed and a fortune she'd inherit in a few years when she turned eighteen. It didn't make sense, and yet it wouldn't be the first time Nicky had been guilty of theft. As much as she wished it were not so, Galina knew she needed to take these accusations seriously-in as delicate of a way as possible. She was terrified that too much of a reaction would damage their relationship or even cause Nicky to be taken from her, but sweeping it under the rug wouldn't help Nicky either. She felt helpless.

"You look much better than yesterday," Galina observed, more to convince herself than her foster daughter. Nicky's skin wasn't quite as pale as it had been when she'd arrived home from school yesterday. She had slept for over twelve hours and Galina had let her sleep, even though it had bothered her that Nicky had skipped supper. She had only nibbled at her breakfast that morning as well, which had been concerning, but Nicky had assured her she felt fine to go to school. At least she seemed to be in better spirits.

"Yeah...I guess I've just been tired," Nicky replied, hoisting her backpack up higher on her shoulders. "I've had a lot on my mind…"

"About what we talked about the other night?" Galina asked, watching her closely out of the corner of her eye.

"I guess so," Nicky said honestly. "It's a big deal. A huge change that I didn't expect."

"A change for the better though, I hope?" Galina asked questioningly.

"I think so," Nicky answered shyly. "I just don't want _you _to regret it. There's an impartial part of me that just wants to advise you to chill out and think about it a little harder. Don't you have friends to tell you that sort of thing?"

"If I did, I wouldn't listen to them," Galina smirked. Which was the honest truth. She had kept her intentions quite under wraps for now anyway. Dmitri had been a little skeptical at first, but had agreed to go along with it if it was what both Nicky and his wife wanted.

"We're alike, you and me," Nicky rolled her eyes. "But everyone knows you're supposed to want to adopt a baby. What do you want with a mouthy teenager?"

"What do I want with a baby?" Galina replied. "I'm too old for a baby now and at least you don't wake me up several times a night." _Except when I can't sleep because I'm worried about you_" she thought silently to herself.

"You seem to find it hard to believe that anyone could want you, Nicky," Galina added softly, swatting at Nicky's bouncy curls lovingly. "And that makes me so sad because you don't see how remarkable you are."

"Well, my own parents didn't want me," Nicky brushed her off. "So, why should you?"

"Your mother wanted you, Nicky," Galina said gently. "She didn't want to die."

"I don't know…" Nicky said wistfully, dropping her gaze down to the ground. "We didn't spend much time together when she was alive, either. She worked all the time."

"She loved you," Galina replied. "I believe she made her choices with what she thought was best for you in mind. That doesn't mean she didn't get it wrong; mothers aren't always right. You'll understand that more when you grow up and if you decided to have a child of your own. But your mother did want you."

'Yeah…" Nicky mumbled. She didn't even bother to bring up her father. He definitely didn't want her, and after how she behaved, she almost couldn't blame him. It made it impossible for her to sincerely believe that the Reznikovs knew what they were getting into. Galina seemed too inclined to believe the best in her, even when the evidence was staring her in the face, and Nicky wished she could be better for her, to be the sort of daughter that was worthy of that sort of love. She just kept doing the wrong things and she didn't know how to stop.

"Our court date is in January," Galina told her. "That gives you a few more weeks to get used to the idea and think up anymore questions you might have."

"Okay," Nicky nodded.

"I'm not going to change my mind, Nicky," Galina assured her, unable to resist reaching out to squeeze Nicky's arm.

Nicky turned her head to stare at the hand on her arm. Then she looked up to catch Galina's blue eyes. Her own brown were filled with uncertainty, and the whites were redder than Galina would have liked to see. Nicky had dark bags under her eyes and her lids looked creased. Galina took one look at her and decided that now was the time to say what she had been mulling over during her sleepless night. She cleared her throat.

"I was wondering what you would think about going to see a therapist, Nicky?" she asked casually, still keeping a tight grip on Nicky's arm.

"A therapist?" Nicky blinked, a frown etching her face. "Why?"

"Because I think it would be good for you...for all of us," Galina replied.

"They made me go see one after my mom died," Nicky shook her head. "I didn't like it."

"You can choose who we go see," Galina pressed. "You don't have to go by yourself this time. We could all go. Dmitri too. Or just me, if you'd rather."

"Dmitri in therapy?" Nicky said skeptically. "He's a man of such few words, I'm almost scared about what could come out."

"Well, maybe he'd just listen," Galina smirked. "But he loves you too, Nicky. He's going to start painting your bedroom today when I get back. I'm going to buy the paint once I leave you."

"Oh, so that's the errand you had to run," said Nicky. She had texted Galina a picture of the shade of blue she wanted yesterday during homeroom.

"That, and one other thing," Galina replied with a small smile. The other thing had simply been her need to walk with Nicky and be with her. She hadn't had anytime with her yesterday because Nicky had come home and gone straight to bed. She was more worried about Nicky than she let on. She knew she needed to keep closer tabs on her every move, she thought therapy would be a good thing for them, but she didn't want to make Nicky think that she didn't trust her. It was a delicate balance.

"I'll think about therapy," Nicky told her. "But what if I decide I don't want to go?"

"Then I won't make you," Galina shrugged. She had to look more closely at her foster parent paperwork to find out if she needed permission to even take her in the first place. She didn't want anything Nicky might reveal to be reported back to the case workers and potentially compromise her adoption. She was so tired of social workers, and being inspected, and needing their permission for every little decision she made. She wanted to take care of Nicky without the state's interference. She just wanted to be Nicky's mother.

"Is this about what Ceci said?" Nicky asked bluntly. "Is that why you want me to see a therapist?"

Galina squeezed her a little bit more tightly. "What did Ceci say?" she asked casually.

"You know what she said," Nicky said darkly, her eyes narrowing. "Ceci told me herself that her mom went to talk to you. They think I stole from them…"

"Did you?" Galina asked quietly, still keeping a tight hold on Nicky's arm.

Nicky shook her head. "No…"

"Okay," Galina replied. "Then I believe you."

"You do?" Nicky asked, looking surprised.

"Yes," Galina nodded. "If you tell me something, then I'll believe you. You don't ever have to lie to me...even if you _did _steal the money from Gloria's register. All you'd have to do is tell me and I'd help you make it right, because that's my job."

Nicky looked back down at the ground and awkwardly pulled her arm out of Galina's grasp. She crossed them in front, hugging herself and was briefly at a loss for words. What could she say to that? She knew her foster mother was trying to make her feel better but it was actually making her feel worse.

"Red.." she croaked awkwardly.

"Yes?" Galina murmured.

Nicky exhaled loudly. "You're a really good mom," she said, still not looking at her. "I was really scared...Ceci and I had a fight at school yesterday. That's why I just wanted to go to bed. I was scared you were going to send me away."

"That's not going to happen," Galina replied.

"I know," Nicky mumbled, hugging herself even more tightly. "But I don't blame people for thinking what they do. They're missing money and they know I got in trouble for that before. It's my own past working against me.

"Remember what I told you when you first came to live with us?" Galina asked.

"No, what?" Nicky frowned.

"That it's a new beginning with a clean slate" Galina replied. "You don't have to worry about that stuff anymore."

Nicky swallowed a lump in her throat as they reached the school, for which she was both grateful and disappointed about. She was feeling very loved and safe right now. A part of her would have been happy to walk around Astoria all day as they were, but the other part of her was so consumed with a shame right now that made her want to run away and hide. As they prepared to part ways, Nicky forced herself to turn and look her foster mother in the eye.

"Thank you," she mumbled gruffly.

Galina gave her a gentle smile and clumsily stroked her thumb briefly across her daughter's cheek. She wished her a good day, and then continued walking, albeit rather slowly, so that she could keep Nicky in sight until she reached the front doors and disappeared into the building. Then she quickened her stride and tried to convince herself that she and Nicky had made progress that morning. Despite what she'd said, she didn't believe Nicky was telling the truth, but she also didn't want to be accusatory and be proven wrong. That was a gamble she was not prepared to take and all she could hope was that Nicky would come to her herself about any wrongdoing, in time. Until then, she planned to get better at watching Nicky like a hawk to prevent anything else from happening.

XXX

Sitting at her desk in Geography class after lunch period, Ceci scowled as the teacher called Nicky's name out while taking attendance. She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling and then dropped her gaze over to Nicky's vacant desk by the window. _Where could she be? _As much as Ceci wanted to convince herself she didn't care anymore...she did.

In spite of herself, she had been keeping a close eye on Nicky all day. She'd said hello to her friend in homeroom and they'd talked briefly during English class in the period before noon. Ceci thought that Nicky's skin seemed grayer than it had in the morning. Her eyes were bloodshot and she'd hardly been able to keep her head up. Ceci had suggested Nicky call it an early day and go home. She'd even offered to escort her to the office and wait there while they called Galina to pick her up, and it had been infuriating when Nicky dismissed all of her concerns by claiming to just have a headache. Now absent from their afternoon class, Ceci wanted to believe that Nicky had taken her advice but she knew that probably wasn't the case. She had seen Nicky walk out the school doors at lunch with a group of seniors that had a reputation for the exact sort of think Ceci had told Gloria she was afraid Nicky was getting involved with.

Finished taking attendance, the teacher selected a student to carry it down to the office and then moved to the board where a projection of notes was displayed. Ceci obediently opened her notebook to a fresh page and popped the cap off of her favourite pen. She was actually grateful for the task, she needed something to do with her hands. She focused on copying what the teacher had written in her neat penmanship and tried to lose herself in the fact and figures she was to be committing to memory, but her thoughts continued to revolve around Nicky.

"_Cecelia? Ms. Mendoza?_" The teacher had to call her name out three times before Ceci looked up.

"Sorry, Mr. Walker," she smiled apologetically.

"Ceci, your mother is waiting for you in the office," her teacher informed her quietly. He was holding the telephone in his hand, which Ceci had not even heard ring so lost in thought she was. "She said it was urgent. You can pack up your stuff and catch the assignment tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay…" Ceci replied, looking alarmed. Gloria had never pulled her out of school before and even if her teacher had not already specified that it was urgent, it was where her mind would have gone. She quickly packed up her books and once alone in the hallway, she stole a glance at her cell phone to see if her mom had texted her any clues. She had not.

"Mom?" Ceci was shocked to see her mother looking as she did when she arrived at the office. Gloria was sitting in a chair with her head in her hands, but at the sound of her daughter's voice, she leaped up to her feet.

"Let's go," Gloria said urgently, slinging her violet purse over her shoulder. Through the open door of the principal's office, Ceci could hear people speaking in hushed voices to one another. She made out the blue uniform of not one, but two, police officers and felt a shiver crawl down her spine. She waited until they were outside the school and had walked past the police patrol car parked at the curb, before she spoke.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Ceci asked worriedly.

"Baby, it's Nicky," Gloria answered, straight to the point. Tears stung in her eyes and before she could waste time worrying about whether or not Ceci would permit her to hold her or not, Gloria had pulled her into a tight embrace.

"When I heard what happened, I wanted to make sure you didn't hear it from another student," Gloria said, her voice thick with emotion. Ceci's arms hung limp at her side but she did not pull away, even when Gloria squeezed her even more tightly.

"I had to see you with my own eyes to make sure you were okay ...logically, I knew you were. You weren't named and I know you have enough sense not to put yourself in a predicament like that, but I still-"

"Mom," Ceci cut in impatiently, "what happened?"

Gloria swallowed and pulled back a little, allowing Ceci to breathe a little more freely now that she wasn't being squeezed so tightly. She still held onto her daughter gently by both arms, directly facing one another on the sidewalk next to the busy street.

"A car accident," Gloria answered. She looked up into the confused face of her daughter. Ceci was so much taller than her, so lithe, and so elegant. She had been just a little girl the last time she'd been able to get this close to her, and it was under such tragic circumstances now that she knew her daughter was allowing this closeness.

"I guess on lunch break, Nicky went out with three other students. They got in a stolen car...and then they crashed it. I forget the name of the driver but he's a senior. Nicky was sitting in the back seat behind him, but she didn't have her seatbelt on." 

"Is she going to be okay?" Ceci asked panicked, tears spilling down her cheeks now.

"Yeah, I think she's going to be okay," Gloria tried to soothe her. She used the pad of her thumb to wipe away Ceci's tears. "Galina said she was going to need a few stitches and they're watching for concussion."

"She called you?" Ceci asked.

"Mhmm," Gloria nodded. "She was hysterical. I think she was at the hospital by herself and that's just about the only coherent thing I could get out of her. I don't think she had seen Nicky yet. She was waiting for the social worker to arrive."

"Nicky's worker?" Ceci looked alarmed. "They aren't going to take her, are they?"

"I don't know how this all works, baby," Gloria shook her head. She reached down and squeezed Ceci's hands tightly in hers. "But Nicky broke the law...Galina said something about drugs being found in the car too."

"That doesn't mean Nicky took any," Ceci objected, eyes once again streaming with tears. "Mom, you didn't say-"

"No, love," Gloria reassured her. "The only one I've spoken to was Galina and that was only a two-minute-long, very confusing conversation, and then I came to get you right away."

"Thank God you did," Ceci whispered. "Mom, I saw her leaving with those guys at lunch. I knew better. I should have stopped-"

"You did nothing wrong, baby," Gloria cut in. She squeezed Ceci's hands once more and then released them. Wrapping one around her daughter's waist now, she lifted her other arm to hail a cab that was approaching. "I'm telling you, _mija, _none of this is your fault. You've been such a good friend to her."

The taxi pulled up to the curb in front of them. Gloria kept an arm around Ceci's waist and opened the door to the car. "Let's get you home," she suggested, tossing Ceci's backpack in first and then standing back to allow her daughter to get in before her.

"No, mom," Ceci objected. "Can't we go see Nicky? Even if they don't let us in the room, I want to be there."

Gloria, who had been about to give the driver their home address, nodded slowly at Ceci and then instructed him to take them to the civic hospital where Nicky had been brought. She felt her daughter exhale a huge sigh of relief and then allow her head to fall against her mother's shoulder. Gloria gently wiped the tears from Ceci's eyes again and pressed her lips against her head, kissing her hair. There was a pang in her stomach at the heartbreak she sensed they were driving towards and she wished with all her might that she could be wrong about that.

**Thank you for reviewing galinareznikovlove, Juliette45, Johanna-002, whenaspritemeetsaunicorn, and wallscollide. **


	9. Chapter 9

As they walked through the main entrance of the hospital, Ceci kept close to her mother's side. Neither of them spoke, as Gloria guided her daughter down the hall, following the signs on the wall that pointed to the emergency room. It was where the ambulance would have brought Nicky and the other kids in the car. She knew that it was unlikely that they'd be allowed in to see Nicky, but she was hoping to offer support to Galina and Dmitri if she could, and she knew that Ceci felt better that they had come.

"Do you think they're going to let Nicky go home today?" Ceci asked dully. Gloria shrugged her shoulders helplessly and steered her to the back of the line of people waiting to speak to the triage nurse.

"Let's pray on it, shall we?" Gloria replied heavily. She didn't want to give her daughter false hope when nothing was clear. There was so much uncertainty regarding Nicky's case, and while Gloria hadn't received the impression that Nicky's injuries were serious enough to prevent her from recuperating at home, she wasn't naive enough to think that this would all be swept under the rug.

"I just want everything to work out for them," Ceci confessed quietly. "They're such a nice little family. Most people don't have that."

"Mmm." Gloria wasn't sure how to respond to that. She couldn't tell if her daughter was shading their own family with that remark or just entirely focused on how Nicky finally had found a place after all this time. It _was _terribly sad that that could be taken from her, although Gloria found it hard to be completely sympathetic when Nicky had done all of this to herself.

"Let's just be supportive and hope for the best," Gloria replied diplomatically. She stepped up to the desk and was about to give Nicky's name, when her daughter tugged on her sleeve to get her attention.

"Mom, Red's sitting right over there," Ceci pointed.

Gloria stepped out of line and turned her head to see Galina sitting in the back row of waiting room chairs looking pale and bothered. She kept wringing her hands together, fidgeting restlessly in her chair. She was speaking to a middle-aged woman writing in a file, but kept shooting anxious glances down the hallway to where Gloria guessed Nicky was probably admitted. She was too distracted to have noticed either Gloria or Ceci standing there, but as Gloria watched her any resentment she might have still been harbouring immediately dissolved. Galina didn't deserve any of this. All she had ever wanted to do was to give Nicky a home.

"Should we go over there?" Ceci asked.

"No," Gloria shook her head. "We don't want to interrupt. Let's just go have a seat and wait."

She placed her hand on the small of Ceci's back and guided her over to a pair of chairs a safe distance from where Galina was so that they'd be respecting her privacy. Nobody would like their parenting put under a microscope and Gloria knew very well just how painful it was to be judged on your capabilities as a mother.

She fumbled through her purse for lack of anything else to do. The inside of her blue deep handbag was a landfill of old receipts, coupons, and wrappers from snacks she'd eaten on the go. "Do you want a piece of gum?" she offered her daughter, loading her lap with a pile of rubbish as she continued to rummage through the purse. "I think I have a pack of it somewhere in here…"

"Sure," Ceci shrugged, glancing back over her shoulder at the two in the corner. "I feel so bad…"

"I do too," Gloria admitted. She pulled out a pack of cherry flavoured gum and unwrapped a stick for herself and popped it in her mouth.

"I have faith though," she reasoned, offering a stick of gum to her daughter. Ceci accepted. "No matter what happens, Galina Reznikov will not give up on that girl.

The panic, the guilt, and hysteria that she had sensed in Galina's voice when she'd called to tell her what had happened had been every bit as natural as if this was impacting a child of her own flesh and blood. There wasn't even a choice in the matter now. Whether being a mama to Nicky became a source of grief and pain was irrelevant. Galina would never be able to simply stop being Nicky's mother. Now they just had to hope that the legal system would agree.

"There she goes," Ceci whispered, and they both stiffened up as the social worker brushed past them, dropping a pen into the sensible bag she was holding her papers in. She did not go back down the hall to where Nicky was presumably receiving care, but right out the automatic doors and into the street.

As soon as she was gone, Gloria was up on her feet and walking back to where Galina was still seated. Their eyes met and before she could even speak a word, Galina had reached out to grip her hand with surprising strength.

"What do you need?" Gloria asked softly.

Galina shook her head. "I'm so sorry," she replied regrettably. "I should have listened to you before. Maybe I could have done something…"

"What do you need?" Gloria asked again, more firmly. She squeezed her hand back tightly, just as Ceci walked over and rested her head against her mother's shoulder.

"Do you want me to call Dmitri?" Gloria offered, ignoring the derisive scoff from her friend, she listed off a few more suggestions. "Do you want us to go see Nicky with you? Or would you like a ride home?"

"I can't go home," Galina replied irritably.

"Okay…" Gloria breathed.

"And I can't go back in there just yet," she shook her head. "I don't know what I'd say or do. I just need to sit here."

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Gloria asked. She leaned her head gently against Ceci's before addressing her. "Why don't you go ask at the desk if Nicky can have a visitor?" she suggested.

"Ok," Ceci agreed, taking a step back from the two women.

Gloria took the seat beside Galina and continued holding her hand, as they watched Ceci walk over to speak to the nurse who then pointed her down the hall in the direction of Nicky's room. Galina let out a low sigh as she watched her disappear from sight.

"So, what's happening?" Gloria asked quietly, when she could take the silence no longer. "What did Nicky's caseworker say?"

"I need to get her a good lawyer," Galina said bluntly.

Gloria compressed her lips together. "Can you afford that?" she asked.

Galina shrugged. "What other choice is there?"

"Let her learn her lesson?" Gloria suggested seriously. "She could have killed somebody with her antics today."

Galina shook her head in rebukement. "Nicky wasn't driving the car," she objected.

"And that makes it that much better?" Gloria replied, raising one perfectly arched eyebrow. "She got into that car by her own volition. Nobody had a gun to her head. She could have killed herself…"

"Jesus, I know!" Galina exploded, pulling her hand out of Gloria's grasp in anger. "I don't need you to tell me how serious this is. I know that I fucked up. I should have been watching more closely. I should have known she was in trouble. And now she'll get taken away...and…"

"Is that for certain?" Gloria asked quietly, as Galina hiccupped back a sob and brushed her hand back through her hair.

"She violated probation," Galina said bitterly. "This was supposed to be her last chance and she blew it. I'm not sure even a lawyer will be able to clean up this mess but we have to try."

"And in the meantime?" Gloria pressed. "Do you get to take Nicky home while this is all figured out?"

"I don't know!" Galina said helplessly.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to that girl," Gloria tried to sound uplifting.

"Apparently not," Galina replied. "Or I would have stopped this from happening before it got this far. Now it's too late. We were supposed to be filing to adopt her and now all my focus has to be on keeping her out of jail."

XXX

Down the hall from the waiting area, Ceci found Nicky sitting up on the bed in a private room. She was wearing a hospital gown and had her legs pressed up to her chest, with her head resting on her knees. The clothes she had worn to school that morning were lying in a messy heap in the corner of the room. Nicky had needed five stitches in her forehead and had a bandage wrapped over the wound, that was mostly blocked by her hair.

"You don't look so bad," Ceci said encouragingly, as she stepped into the room.

Stabbing her chin more tightly into her knees, Nicky glared at her. "I have a headache," she replied.

"Poor you," Ceci said sarcastically.

"Not really," Nicky replied honestly, ignoring the jading. "At least the pain in my skull is making me feel alive right now. It gives me something to think about."

"Why don't you ask for a Tylenol and then think about how you're going to get yourself out of this mess instead?" Ceci said dully, stepping more deeply into the room. She perched herself up onto the foot of Nicky's bed and crossed her legs at the ankle.

"I don't get myself out of messes," Nicky shook her head. "I create messes. Ask anybody. I leave a path of mass destruction in my wake every time, without fail."

"Does that include Red's heart?" Ceci asked, turning to look Nicky directly in the eye. "Because I just saw her in the waiting area. My mom is sitting with her now. She's so upset."

Nicky hugged her legs against herself even more tightly. "She'll get over it," she muttered.

"You sure?" Ceci asked sharply.

"Well, she's going to have to," Nicky answered. "The police and my dragon lady case worker were all just in here to yell at me. Like I need any reminders about how badly I fucked up this time…"

"Why did you do it then?" Ceci asked, looking pained. "This...and all the other stuff you did that just never got reported. I thought you were happy living with the Reznikovs and going to school with me. Why did you have to ruin everything for yourself?"

"Because it's what I do," Nicky responded. "And eventually, you all will realize that I did you a big favour."

"I sincerely doubt that," Ceci replied.

"I just don't care about any of it anymore," Nicky said sadly.

"I don't believe _that _either," Ceci said angrily. "You need to stop talking like that and focus on how you can make this shitty situation better, because I'm not prepared to have to muddle through this life without you as my friend"

"But I'm not even a good friend!" Nicky exclaimed, falling back on the bed and staring up the ceiling in disbelief. "I made you lie for me and cover for me...I even stole from your mom for fucks sake!

"Well, thanks for finally admitting it," Ceci said shortly. "I expect you to return it, just so you know, but it still doesn't change things."

"I don't see how," Nicky said tiredly.

"You are my best friend in this city," Ceci told her. "Meeting you was the best thing that has happened to me since my mom forced me to come live here. If it wasn't for you, I probably would have run away a long time ago."

"You have too much sense to do that," Nicky said, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Maybe," Ceci shrugged. "But I'm not exaggerating when I tell you how much your friendship has helped me. I've been really hurting...just like I know you have. Maybe it's my turn to support you."

"Well…" Nicky choked, signifying the first crack in her iron steel. "I'm sure I'll have a lot of support in Juvie. Those prison guards...they'll keep me on the straight and arrow."

"That's not funny," Ceci told her.

"Does it look like I'm laughing?" Nicky shot back up from the bed like a cannon, and there was fire in her eyes. "I don't know what else to do. I'm just stuck sitting in this room until they figure out what to do with me in the meantime."

"When is your trial?" asked Ceci.

"I have to go before the judge in two days," Nicky said, worry creeping into her tone despite how hard she tried to hold it back.

"Well, I'm going to be there," Ceci promised. "I'm not going to let them write you off just yet."

**Thank you for reading and for the continued interest in this story. I know it's been a long time since I updated. I am back to work after maternity leave and busy juggling a full-time job with all the mom stuff. I'm going to hopefully plan to have the next chapter posted in about a week. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews wallscollide, Johanna-002, Guest, whenaspritemeetsaunicorn, galinareznikovlove, Guest, Juliette45, and Guest. **

**Also, thank you to the guest with the suggestion for flashbacks of how they all came to be. I really like that idea and will try to incorporate that into the story. **


	10. Chapter 10

The drive home later that day was met with heavy silence. Galina pressed her cheek against the window, leaving a smudge and not even thinking of how many people had touched that glass. She didn't care. Her head felt numb but her mind was full. She'd been given permission to bring Nicky home at least until her court appearance in two days, but Galina had no idea what to do with her until then.

"Red?" Nicky croaked. The car had just turned onto their road and she was nearly home, to a place she hadn't been sure she'd get to come back to and which she might be leaving for good soon anyway.

Galina let out a sigh and kept her eyes diverted at the busy street outside. Dmitri had agreed to keep the store open while she was at the hospital but without her there to prepare and serve food they had lost money that day. And Dmitri had closed early.

"Thank you," Galina said briskly to the driver when they pulled up to the curb in front of her business and home. She counted out the fare plus tip and handed the driver a wad or bills before sliding out of the car. She held the door for Nicky who quietly climbed out after.

The car door slammed as soon as Nicky was on the curb, making Nicky wince. She swallowed a lump in her throat and tried her hardest to fight back tears as she followed her foster mother up the exterior steps to the apartment.

She watched silently as Galina tried the door and discovered it locked. Then began to rummage in her purse for her set of keys, cursing under her breath as she pulled out several different items before finding her set and unlocking it.

"Why did you lock the door when you knew I was on my way?" She snapped upon entry, although inwardly she knew she probably would have had something to say about a door left carelessly unlocked as well. There was a lump in her throat and a heat rising in her chest. She was coated in anger and profoundly unhappy.

"Did you say something?" Dmitri asked bleakly. He was sitting in his usual armchair with his hands over his head and the television humming.

"Nevermind," Galina muttered.

She dropped her bags onto the floor at her feet and kicked off her shoes forcefully, while Nicky quietly closed the door and locked it tight. Slipping off her own shoes, she lined them up neatly beside the door and then silently did the same with those of her foster mother. Quite unlike herself, Galina had left her shoes where they lay and she'd dropped her coat onto the floor beside them too. Nicky wordlessly picked it up for her and hung that up as well. Her brown eyes were wide and fearful, in this apartment filled with unbridled tension. She had been waiting for Galina to yell at her since she'd arrived at the hospital and the torture of anticpation made her almost want to get it over with.

"Well, Nicky!" Dmitri said loudly, his booming voice making Nicky wince when she was so used to his gentle tones. His lip was curled and his eyes were narrow. He even actually got out of his chair and to his feet in an act that felt especially formidable, considering Dmitri hardly ever found anything worthy of getting up for.

"Ye-yes," Nicky stammered, shooting an anxious look over at Galina for help, only to find her inexplicably wiping down the inside of the sink and ignoring them both. Nicky tucked her hands nervously behind her back.

"I guess you got lucky today," Dmitri said. "This could have been much worse but you seemed to have gotten by mostly unscathed. I guess we'll see if you have the same odds when you go to trial."

"Sure," Nicky said weakly, not sure where this was headed. Dmitri looked angry. Which was an emotion she thought he'd lack the energy to express. He wasn't the type to fly off the handle. In her time with them, Nicky had observed how the display of dramatics were normally reserved for his wife.

"Galya," Dmitri said sharply.

"Mmm?" came a murmur barely audible over the running water. Galina still wasn't looking at either of them.

"Has Nicky ever been in our bedroom?" Dmitri asked.

"Well...yes, I suppose," Galina replied. Sometimes Nicky had liked to come in and lie on the bed while she watched Galina sit at her small vanity table and apply her makeup. They'd had some of their best conversations that way and felt so strongly like mother and daughter.

"I mean unsupervised," Dmitri added.

Galina merely shrugged. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" she suggested. "She's standing right there."

Dmitri turned his head. "Nicky?" he raised a questioning eyebrow.

Nicky flushed. "You want me to remember every room I've ever been in without one of you watching me?"

"I'd like to know if you've ever been inside Mrs. Reznikov's jewellery box without permission," Dmitri said darkly. "And, more specifically, whether you've stolen from it."

"Dmitri," Galina whispered. She dropped the rag she was pretending to clean with and switched off the water. "Don't do this now. It's been a long day…"

"And an enlightening one," Dmitri said loudly. "We find out that the girl we opened our home to has been hitching rides in stolen cars and hanging out around drugs and alcohol, which would be bad enough on its own, but is made even worse by the fact that she has already been kicked out of other people's homes and sent to kid jail for those very things. Clearly she didn't learn her lesson!"

"I did…" Nicky's lip quivered. "I do."

"She stole from your best friend," Dmitri spoke over her, glaring at his wife. "And you didn't even do anything about it! You blamed Gloria. What would you have done if one of the boys had done such a thing?"

"They wouldn't have done that," Galina said automatically, without a flicker of hesitation. Nicky felt like her heart was in her throat. She hated how confident her foster mother could be in how her sons would have or would not have behaved. Yet, being around Nicky filled her with doubts. The only thing Galina had consistently said to her so far while they were at the hospital was that she didn't know what to do.

"Exactly," Dmitri said snidely.

"Yuri stole a little car from a store when he was four," Galina said softly. "And when I discovered it, I spanked him and then marched him right back to the store to return it and apologize."

"Yet, when Nicky steals cash from Gloria worth much more than a cheap little toy you act like Nicky is a victim," Dmitri snapped.

"That's not the same…" Galina said wearily. "We didn't have Nicky to raise when she was small, so she doesn't know…"

"You think she doesn't know right from wrong?" Dmitri cut her off.

They were speaking to one another as if Nicky wasn't even in the room. She watched them like a tennis match, back and forth discussing what was wrong with her. Galina had excuses for her, but Nicky could tell from the defeated look in her eyes that she was exhausted and over the entire situation, and Nicky hated that she was responsible for causing it.

"That watch was broken and hadn't been worn in ages," Galina was saying tiredly. "Are you sure it was even still in there?"

"Did you take it out?" Dmitri demanded.

"No," Galina shook her head. "But that doesn't mean that Nicky took it…"

"You're still defending her?" Dmitri nearly yelled. "After everything she's done, you think she'd be above stealing?"

"Stop fighting!" Nicky pleaded, tears pooling in her deep brown eyes. She couldn't take the sound of it anymore. It was bringing her back to the way her mother and father had always spoken to one another. They had often argued about her too, and now Galina and Dmitri were doing the same.

"I did take it," she confessed. "I'm sorry…"

"Nicky," Galina looked confused and hurt.

"I needed some money to pay a guy back," Nicky said. "I didn't think anyone would notice if I took that because the clasp was broken and the case was all dusty too like nobody cared…"

"Galina gave me that for our one year wedding anniversary," Dmitri told her. "I had hoped to some day to pass it down to my son."

"What did you need money for?" Galina asked. "To buy drugs?"

Nicky dropped her head. "Not that often," she mumbled. "But sometimes this life just hurts me so much that I need an escape."

"I thought our home could be an escape for you," Galina said numbly, staring at her. "I thought I could take good care of you and give you a happy life."

"I never wanted to hurt you," Nicky whispered. "I am happy here."

"Clearly not," Galina said shortly. She used her sleeve and dabbed at the corner of her eye. "Go to your room, Nicky. Get to bed."

Not knowing what else she could do, Nicky did as instructed. She walked slowly down the hall. She could hear her foster parents continuing to speak harshly to one another behind her back. Nicky pushed open the door to her bedroom and fell down on top of the comforter. She pressed her face into the warm softness of her pillow and used it to muffle out her crying.

She couldn't hold back. Sobs shook her body, making her already pounding head feel excruciating. She kept hoping that Galina would come into the room to check on her. Rub her back and promise things would be okay, but when Nicky finally was worn out from crying and lay there silently, nobody had come. Galina was probably counting the minutes until she would finally be free of her, and then Nicky really would be alone again.

She rolled onto her side and hugged her pillow tightly to herself. She had never before made her bed every single day as soon as woke up, but it had been one of things Galina had been insistent about and Nicky typically had followed her rules pretty well. She'd done her best to be a good daughter, giving Galina the illusion that she was adjusting well enough, that to have their whole house of cards come tumbling down now was such a shock.

Her eyes scanned around the simple bedroom, overcrowded by the bunk beds that Maxsim and Vasily had shared growing up here. Back when the apartment had been filled with three rambunctious boys, instead of a messed up girl who had ruined her chance at having a true family. They had wanted to adopt her. They had been making plans to redecorate this room to really make it feel like her own.

Now that was all thrown away, and all that was left was two parents speaking aggressively to one another in Russian, as if that would disguise the fact for Nicky through the thin walls that they were arguing. It was obvious what they were fighting about, even if she didn't hear her name. As she began to fall into an exhausted and uneasy sleep, Nicky's final thoughts were of how she had ruined both their lives...although she had warned them from the beginning that she'd do exactly that...

XXX

_Different day, different show on the television, but not much else was changed. Dmitri was sitting in his recliner with his feet up. He fortunately hadn't persisted in his painful attempts to engage her in small talk, and now the two of them were sitting in the living room together in companionable silence, while Galina discussed the paperwork with Nicky's social worker. _

"_Now you're going to behave yourself here, Nicky," the social worker said with a tight edge in her voice. _

_Nicky glared up at her with her arms crossed. "At the risk of having more visits from you, I think I'll walk the line," she retorted. _

"_Call me if she's any trouble," the social worker said with a distasteful shake of her head. "I can always come and get her if she gets to be too much. You wouldn't be the first foster parents to have to call me." _

"_They'd be the fourth," Nicky spoke up. _

"_Quite an impressive resume," Galina remarked. Nicky fixed her with a glare too, but her new foster mother appeared undeterred. She was already back speaking to the social worker that had brought Nicky by an hour ago. She and her reluctant husband had just finished completing their qualifications to foster children, and almost immediately had received a call asking if they thought they'd be up for one of their more challenging cases. Since she had always prided herself on her mothering abilities, Galina had agreed to take Nicky on. _

"_She hates me," Nicky announced, sounding almost proud, once the social worker had left the apartment. _

"_It's okay," Galina told her. "I don't care for them much myself. They always make me feel like I'm in trouble."_

"_I'm the one in trouble," Nicky corrected her. "I just got out of juvie and I've been kicked out of every foster home I've ever been put in." _

"_I know," Galina said dryly. "She showed me your file. I also know that you're too smart for your own good, even though applying yourself in school doesn't seem to be high on your list of priorities. And before you entered foster care, you lived with your mother." _

"_She didn't kick me out, but she did kick my dad out," Nicky smirked. "She probably would have kicked me out eventually too. She always said I was just like him." _

"_Well, my son Maxsim is just like his father," Galina smirked. "But I've made my peace with it." _

_She smiled at the small grin she had coaxed from the mouthy girl. They both had glanced over to Dmitri who was watching the television and completely oblivious to their conversation. Then, Galina picked up the duffle bag at Nicky's feet and slung the strap over her shoulder. _

"_Come, I'll show you your room," she offered invitingly. _

_Nicky nodded her head and slid off of the couch. "So, I'm guessing it was your idea to foster a kid?" she said, pointing back over her shoulder at Dmitri. "Unless your husband thinks he can make easy money from letting me live here?"_

"_We both agreed," Galina said honestly. "But you're right, it was my idea. Ever since my sons moved away this place has been too quiet." _

"_Well, if it's noise and excitement you're after, I can probably deliver," Nicky said brightly. "That's one thing I'm good at." _

"_I have a feeling you're good at a lot of things," Galina replied. She pointed into the bathroom and then her own room before opening the door to Nicky's new bedroom. She set the small duffle bag on top of the single bed near the window. "This is all you've brought?"_

"_Considering my nomadic lifestyle, I can only keep what fits in a single duffle bag," Nicky said matter-of-factly, as she plopped down onto the bed. "They sold most of my mother's stuff and put it into an account for me to get when I'm older. Someday I'll be rich."_

"_That will be nice," Galina replied. "That means you have a bright future ahead of you. My boys would probably love it if someday my store took off and actually made more than just enough to keep itself open. Maybe then they wouldn't have had to share a bedroom." _

"_It's better than being alone all the time," Nicky said. _

"_Well, you get to have the room to yourself but you're never going to feel alone in an apartment this small. I'm sure you've lived in much fancier places than this." _

"_You mean like Juvie?" Nicky smirked. _

"_I mean anything," Galina shrugged. "This is new for you, but it's new for me too. I've never had a daughter before, but I have a feeling that I'm going to like it." _

XXX

When Nicky woke up from her heavy sleep, the room was dark, her eyes felt swollen from crying, and her head felt like it weighed a million pounds. She yawned loudly and contemplated falling back asleep again, just to escape reality for a little bit longer, but the pang in her stomach insisted otherwise. She was starving. She had slept through supper and Galina had never even bothered to wake her up.

SIghing, Nicky swung her feet off of the bed and had to lay her head in her hands for a minute until the room stopped spinning and she felt good to stand. Everything was quiet and all the lights were off as she tiptoed down the hall and into the kitchen. She could see that the television was still on, though the volume was low. Peering into the room, Nicky saw with surprise that it wasn't Dmitri watching, but Galina, curled up on one side of the couch. She hadn't reacted to Nicky's entrance.

"Red?"

"There's leftover pizza in the fridge if your hungry," Galina said dully. "Dmitri ordered it. I didn't feel like cooking."

"You must be upset then," Nicky remarked, as she swung open the refrigerator door to find the pizza. They had only eaten out a handful of times since she'd come to live here, and it was always somebody else's idea. Not that Nicky minded because Galina was a great cook, and she was nearly always willing to make Nicky's requests for her when she asked.

One of her favourites was the pancakes and bacon they ate for breakfast every Sunday. Sometimes her foster mother would get fancy and add berry filling and create a rich pastry to start the day. Yet, even when she made things that weren't to Nicky's taste, she always enjoyed the love and passion she could sense put into every dinner. Feeding her family was something Galina took tremendous pride in, and Nicky had loved being considered among them.

She pulled two slices onto a plate and decided to eat them cold. She had just turned to head back to her bedroom to eat them alone, when Galina called over to her. An invitation to come sit and eat in the living room, which made Nicky hesitate. Things felt so heavy and awkward between them now, where before there had only been love. Dragging her feet, and resisting the urge to run, Nicky reluctantly complied.

She sat down on the other side of the couch, keeping a considerable gap of space between them. Slowly she picked up a slice of pizza and took a small bite. She concentrated on the television and did everything she could to avoid her foster mother's gaze.

"Here, honey," Galina said softly, forcing Nicky to turn to look at her. Galina had a blanket draped over her lap, but now she lifted it with the intention of covering Nicky with it too. "It's a bit chilly tonight. I find it a little drafty in here. Don't you?"

"I-I guess," Nicky stammered. She picked her plate up off her lap and allowed Galina to tuck the blanket over her. Then she dropped her plate down and re-commenced eating. She didn't know what was expected of her right now. Did Galina want an explanation? An apology? Nicky awkwardly continued to chew her pizza and wait for the questions or clues, which didn't come, as Galina picked up the remote and scanned for a different show to watch.

"I'm really sorry," Nicky finally blurted out.

Galina nodded her head. "I'm sure you are."

"If I could take it back, I would," Nicky pleaded. "I never wanted to hurt you, or Dmitri. I can see why the guy grates on your nerves a lot but I love him. I love both of you so much. I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me."

"I don't know what's wrong with you either," Galina replied honestly. "Maybe the therapist will give us some answers. I'm going to call first thing in the morning and book you an appointment."

"I'm only here for two more days," Nicky reminded her. "You think they'll get me in that fast?"

Galina pursed her lips. "Well, I'll call and see what they say," she replied. "And then you're going to start working in my store in order to pay back your debts. You'll never replace Dmitri's watch but you can at least return Gloria's money."

"Okay…" Nicky said nimbly.

"I'm going to have Ceci bring your assignments home tomorrow so you can do your school work right in front of me," Galina added. "Since I don't think you'll be going to school until all of this is sorted out. At least you won't fall too far behind."

"You're talking like I'm not going anywhere yet," Nicky remarked.

Galina cocked her head to the side. "Well, we don't know that you are. The judge might surprise you."

"Or he might not," Nicky said pessimistically. "I'll probably get the same man I got before. He yelled at me. Besides, I have a concussion and my head is pounding. School work is sort of out of the question for me right now."

"Too bad," Galina said differently.

"Harsh," was all Nicky could think to say.

Galina shook her head. "I'm not fucking around anymore, Nicky. Enough is enough. I'm going to keep you so busy and under my eye that you won't have time to get into anymore trouble.

"Unless they lock me up…" Nicky reminded her. Though a spark of hope was already beginning to light in her chest, now that Galina was speaking to her so sternly...and motherly. Even if she didn't deserve any of it.

"We're going to fight it," Galina said firmly.

Nicky nodded her head eagerly. Blinking back tears at the mere thought that she still somehow had an ally. "I wasn't driving the car," she said hopefully.

"No," Galina agreed. "But you knew the car was stolen and you knew there were drugs in that car as well, didn't you? Some showed up in your system when they drew blood at the hospital

Nicky sighed. "I'm such a fuck up…"

"That makes two of us," Galina said thickly. "Dmitri is right. I should have been watching you better. I should have known what was going on.

"This isn't on you," Nicky said.

"I think it is," Galina disagreed. "Not all of it, but some. I'm supposed to be your mother. I'm supposed to keep you safe."

"I stole from you," Nicky murmured. "Something I can never replace."

"Well, you're pretty irreplaceable yourself," Galina said gently. "And you're a child. Just because you deserve to be punished for something doesn't mean that you don't deserve a family."

"I want to be in this family," Nicky said pleadingly. "I want you to be my mom."

"I _am _your mom," Galina assured her. "And if you're going to stand before a judge in two days not get sent to juvie, then the judge needs to know that you are going to be living in a disciplined and highly supervised home. So that's exactly what I intend to do. I'm going to fight for you, and fight for our family."

**Thank you so much for reading and the reviews. I hope you enjoyed. **


	11. Chapter 11

Just as they reached the apartment door, Galina placed an encouraging hand on Nicky's arm and gave her a gentle squeeze. She could tell that her daughter was nervous, which was completely understandable given the circumstances, but she also expected this to be a pleasant day. This was their first time really leaving their bubble in almost a month, which she still believed had been necessary. She had followed through on every promise she had made to Nicky that night on the couch following her accident.

"Everything's fine," Galina reminded her, as she pressed the doorbell.

"I know," Nicky nodded. "Gloria doesn't bite…"

She still looked a bit afraid though, when Gloria opened the door a moment later. Even though Gloria smiled at her, Nicky immediately felt awash of shame and nerves in anticipation of what she knew she was expected to do. She forced herself to look Gloria directly in the eye, wanting to get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"This is for you," she stepped forward, holding out an envelope that had been folded up and hidden in her fist. It was the money she had stolen from the registrar the first and only time she had been left unattended in Gloria's store.

"I did steal it from you," Nicky confessed, speaking rapidly. "I know you know that, of course. I worked in Red's store to earn the money to pay you back."

"Thank you, Nicky," Gloria said, accepting the envelope and slipping it into the pocket of her jeans. "I appreciate that."

"And I'm sorry," Nicky added.

"I know you are," Gloria smiled. "I'm just glad to see you looking better."

Nicky nodded. She had written a more heartfelt and drawn out apology letter which was tucked in the envelope along with the cash she'd owed Gloria. That was the task Red had set her once she'd finished her homework the other day. Nicky had written a whole stack of letters to Gloria, Dmitri, to Ceci and Elena. To her teachers, who had been sending her assignments to her electronically so she could work at home for the foreseeable future. And perhaps most importantly, she had written to the judge and her social worker, who held her entire future in their hands.

"Why don't you go see Ceci and Elena in the living room?" Gloria suggested. "They're busy entertaining the birthday boy."

"What about Julio?" Galina asked, as she stepped inside the apartment and slipped her shoes off. She set them on the mat next to Nicky's.

"Lourdes insisted on bringing him with her," Gloria shook her head. "I don't know why...I think she's more nervous than I am."

"I thought they might already be here," Galina said. "I thought we might have missed all the excitement."

"Nope, you get a front row seat," Gloria said, pulling out her phone and checking it for messages. "She said they will be here in about ten minutes. I honestly have no idea how today is going to go."

"It will be fine," Galina said confidently. "And I'm grateful for the distraction."

"Everything gets decided tomorrow then?" Gloria asked, shooting her a look of concern as she stuck her phone back in her pocket.

"Mhmm," Galina nodded her head urgently. "I've done all I can do. Now I just have to hope it will be enough…."

She had hired a lawyer who had represented Nicky at her arraignment and gotten the judge to postpone ruling for another month. Nicky had been attending therapy sessions twice a week since then, which Galina escorted her to and from. Nicky hadn't been anywhere alone or left at home unsupervised since everything had come out.

She did her schoolwork every day under Galina's careful eye in the back of the store. Her phone had been confiscated and her Internet access was monitored and only permitted for school. If she finished everything early, Galina would assign her extra chores or reading just to keep her occupied. Dinners were eaten at the table together with Dmitri growing warmer towards her again now that he was accepting she wasn't going anywhere. Galina made her go to bed far too early every night and woke her up at an ungodly hour to assist with the morning's baking for the store. It was all okay though, because Nicky couldn't remember the last time she had felt this protected and loved.

"What if it's not enough?" Gloria asked quietly, voicing Galina's biggest fear. "Will you be okay?"

"No," Galina said honestly. "Not in the least…."

She paused in the threshold of the living room, her lips pursed as she watched Nicky on the floor with the baby and her friends. Her entire days revolved around Nicky, now more than ever, and she could not even fathom the thought of that being taken away tomorrow. She was terrified that things wouldn't go well. That even if Nicky seemed to be thriving and growing more attached to her every day, the judge would refuse to ignore the fact that Nicky had technically breached her probation.

"Mom, look what Benny will do if I hold his hand," Nicky said happily, turning her head and catching Galina's eye. She couldn't hold back the smile that tugged at her lips every single time she called her that. She had thought it would be uncomfortable to call someone else 'mom' after her mother passed away, but she was just overjoyed to be able to say it again, and it was music to Galina's ears each time she heard it.

"Look at you," Galina said to Benny, crouching down on the floor to his level. Though he still stubbornly refused to walk, Benny was willingly holding onto one of Nicky's hands and taking one step forward and then back like some kind of dance shuffle. If she tried to let go of his hand, he would scream and grip on tighter.

"We've been trying to get him to walk all morning," Elena complained, "but he's over us."

"He swats our hands away but he won't let go of Nicky's," Ceci added.

"Get used to it girls, little brothers are always going to be pests," Galina teased them. "But just look at him dancing!" She clapped her hands together and Benny's eyes narrowed at them in fascination as he bounced up and down to the beat.

"Are you going to come see me?" she asked the baby. He shrieked with glee at her outstretched hands, and still holding onto Nicky's took a single step forward.

"Up, up, up!" Galina coaxed him, just as Benny plopped onto his bottom and began to scoot himself over to her.

"You're supposed to be walking," Galina told him, scooping him up into her arms and kissing both of his chubby little cheeks. "Happy Birthday, baby."

"I can't believe he's already one," she said to the girls.

"Judging by his lack of teeth you wouldn't even know it," Elena said. "It makes him look pretty funny, doesn't it?"

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything," Nicky joked. "Is Gloria going to have him do the cake smash? That might be painful to watch."

"We're going to have to smash it up for him first," Ceci said, and all three girls began to laugh just as the doorbell rang.

"Will somebody grab that please?" Gloria called from the kitchen.

"Who else did you invite?" asked Ceci, getting up off the floor.

"Go find out," Gloria replied, stepping into the room and sharing an anxious glance with Galina behind her daughters backs'.

Ceci frowned. Her mother's behaviour gave away that this was significant and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she perched on tip-toe to look through the peephole. Immediately her whole body began to visibly tremble, and Gloria was forced to hang back though she wanted to reach her.

"Ma!" Ceci cried, laughing and crying simultaneously at the sight of the petite woman in front of her when she swung open the door. It was a complete and unexpected shock to see her Grandmother there. She looked the same as she always did, with her slight build and her long dark hair streaked with even more grey then the last time she had seen her.

"Let me in, it's cold out here!" Milagros said, stepping into the apartment and taking Ceci's face in her hands. "Let me look at you. Can you believe I'm really here?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Ceci choked, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't cry, love, now I'm going to cry," Milagros told her, engulfing her in a tight hug. Ceci sniffled and buried her head against her grandmother's shoulder, while Elena overcame her shock and rushed forward. She had been standing still as a statue staring at her Grandma like she couldn't believe she was real, but she sank into Milagros's embrace when she opened an arm out for her.

"You're really here," she whispered.

"Your mom invited me," Milagros told them, looking up to catch Gloria's eye. "I wasn't going to come until next Christmas but I couldn't wait any longer. I needed to see you now."

"Where are Lourdes and Julio?" asked Gloria.

"Parking the car," Milagros explained. "I jumped out when we neared your apartment though. I couldn't wait another minute. Julio kept us entertained the whole way back from the airport."

"He's a sweetie," Gloria smiled. She reached her arms out for Benny, and Galina passed him to her.

"This is my friend Galina and her daughter Nicky. And this is your other grandson, Benny," she held him up for admiration.

"Our little birthday boy," Milagros smiled at him. She nudged Elena with her elbow. "He looks like you when you were a baby. Funny, because you all have different fathers. You two take after your mom though."

Gloria rolled her eyes, as Milagros used her other elbow to nudge Ceci this time. "Not you though. You take after your father. That's why you're so tall. He was a handsome man. That's about all he was good for."

"There you are," Lourdes grumbled, entering the apartment with a suitcase in one hand, Julio's hand in the other, and two purses slung over her shoulder.

"That took a long time," Milagros commented. "The traffic is terrible."

"It's New York," Lourdes reminded her. "But seriously, who jumps out of a moving vehicle and leaves her bags for someone else to carry. Do I look like a friggen bellboy?"

"That's a bad word, Tia," Julio giggled.

"Never you mind," Lourdes told him, dropping the bags onto the floor and scooping him up into her arms.

"The car was hardly moving," Milagros replied smoothly, "it was stopped on the road in bumper to bumper traffic. And I forgot my bags because I was excited."

"Well, you're lucky I decided to be nice and bring them to you," Lourdes told her. "Or you'd have been begging to wear my clothes this whole visit."

"Well, I guess you owe me," Milagros smirked. She glanced at both of her granddaughters. "Our mother used to dress us up like twins, and your Tia was always getting her clothes torn and dirty, climbing trees and doing other things like that. Then she'd try to swap them with mine and think I wouldn't see the difference."

"Don't listen to her girls," Lourdes shook her head, as Ceci and Elena both laughed. "I'm pretty sure she got that story backwards."

"Well, I guess some things never change," Gloria said. "You two have been back together for...what? An hour? And you're already bickering."

"This isn't fighting, darling," Milagros said. "It's sisterly affection."

"I'll have to remember that for when Julio and Benny are at one another's throats in a few years," Gloria shook her head.

"Can I show you our room, Ma?" Elena tugged at her Grandma's arm.

"Of course!" Milagros exclaimed. "I'd love to see it."

"You can sleep in there with us tonight," Elena told her, as she led her down the hall. Ceci was sticking close and squeezed in tight on her Grandmother's other side. "You can have my bed. I don't mind sharing with Ceci."

"Wow, it's like you from the future," Nicky said bluntly, as the room became quiet.

"Hey, watch it," Gloria told her, trying to smile but it looking more like a grimace. Stepping forward she plopped Benny down onto Nicky's lap. "I'm going to get the cake ready. When they come back out we'll all sing Happy Birthday."

"Happy Birthday!" Nicky repeated. She began to hum the tune, bouncing Benny on her knee to the beat of it, while Galina got up to follow Gloria into the kitchen.

"I did the right thing?" Gloria said, it coming out more like a question than statement.

Galina nodded. "I think so. They're so happy to see her."

"What if they want to leave with her?" Gloria asked worriedly. It was this fear that had almost kept her from arranging this visit from her mother, but in the end she had wanted to do the right thing. There was room for both of them, there had been once before, and she had to believe that there would be again. The girls needed all of them.

"You're their mom, nothing can change that," Galina said, stepping forward to engulf Gloria in a hug. Gloria leaned against her, not unlike the way she had seen Ceci bury herself against her Grandmother like a mounting pillar of strength she'd been away from for far too long.

"They belong with you," Galina whispered in Gloria's ear. Then she silently added to herself "_Just like Nicky belongs with me."_


	12. Chapter 12

Nicky shifted closer to Galina when she spotted her lawyer walking down the hall. The heels that clicked on the marble floor were coordinated perfectly with the polished navy briefcase the tall blonde woman carried in one hand. Evelyn's suit was formal and crisp, with sheer pantyhose underneath her modest skirt, and a fashionable red scarf tied at her throat to reflect a bit of her personality into her career attire.

It hadn't been intentional, but Nicky had been getting constant vibes of her mother at every single meeting she'd had with this lawyer. Marka had often left the house looking just like this. Before her untimely death, she had been one of the top partner's in her firm, which had taken a lot of effort and dedication. It had been Marka's life work, and she had earned herself a lot of respect and commendation from both her colleagues and the people she had defended. Nicky had watched her climb the lucrative ladder her entire childhood with a peculiar mixture of resentment and pride. Evelyn was young and starting out still a ways from where her mother had gone, but Nicky saw the same ambitious fire in her lawyer's eye that had been in Marka's all her life. She was good at her job, and if anyone could get Nicky off the hook now, it was her.

"Good news, Nicky," Evelyn said once she reached them, holding her briefcase in front of her with both hands now. "The judge has agreed to meet with us in his chambers instead of the big courtroom," she glanced at Galina. "She'll be a bit more comfortable in there," she explained gently, tapping her french manicure rhythmically against the case.

"Nothing about this is comfortable," Nicky said bluntly, and Galina automatically reached her hand over to wrap around Nicky's wrist in a tight but secure embrace.

"It's normal to be nervous," Evelyn said gently, while Nicky carefully studied the pale and softly lined skin of Galina's hand. Her fingernails were manicured like the lawyer's too-red, in this case, but for the first time Nicky noticed how chipped the polish had gotten. Galina had been so focused on watching and taking care of her that she neglected to even update her manicure like she ordinarily would.

"I couldn't get her to eat a bite this morning," Galina said quietly. Her eyes looked a bit cloudy from lack of sleep. She had been tossing and turning all night herself.

"That's okay," Evelyn said to Nicky. "Once this is over I'm sure your appetite will be back with a vengeance. Your mom can take you out for lunch to celebrate."

"You're feeling positive," Nicky said dully. She refused to get her hopes up, or worse Red's. She did think she had been making good strides since everything had come up but it still didn't change the fact that she was now a repeat offender, and Evelyn hadn't been able to get the judge changed from the one who already disliked her from last time.

"We have a strong case," Evelyn said calmly, "that is if you check your attitude at the door before we go in."

"I'll be good," Nicky sighed, leaning back against the wall.

"Is your husband here?" Evelyn turned to Galina.

"He's supposed to be," Galina replied. "He said he would meet us here."

Evelyn briskly checked the pearl banded watch on her wrist. It was nearly time. "I wanted both of you to walk in with her," she said with a small frown. "It's really important we put forth a united front in there. You're both her guardians and we need to have him on board."

"He is on board," Galina insisted, "he cares about all of this as much as I do."

Nicky glanced sideways at her with a look of skepticism on her face. Dmitri barely even spoke to her anymore. He hadn't scolded her since that night and was always polite, but usually he preferred to wait until she exited a room before he entered. Often he didn't even come home and had been spending more time with his sons. Nicky was getting used to eating her meals at the big kitchen table or at the counter in the store, with just Red to herself.

The tension between husband and wife was obvious. Nicky had overheard Dmitri expressing concerns about the cost of her legal fees and whether Galina had gotten them entirely in over their heads. They still made her go to bed way too early, but that extra time at night was spent doing separate things and barely speaking, as far as Nicky could tell. Dmitri hadn't attended a single meeting with the lawyer, but when Evelyn had phoned him directly to express the importance of him attending court, he had agreed to show up.

"My throat is dry," Nicky croaked, feeling far more nervous that she would have ever admitted. She was way more worried this time than the first time she'd been sentenced to juvie. Back then Nicky hadn't really given a damn about what they did to her, but now she knew she had a lot to lose. She might not have her mother anymore, and her father might not want her, but she'd found a new family that loved her and hadn't appreciated it until it was too late. If Nicky lost everything today, she knew she'd have nobody to blame but herself.

"I'll get you some water," Galina said, giving Nicky's wrist another squeeze before she released it. There were vending machines at the other end of the corridor. Galina was wearing a pair of high heeled black leather boots with her red skirt and Nicky focused on them entirely as she watched her walk away. _Click Clack_. Nicky listened to the sound of her steps so that she would not have to make eye contact or conversation with her lawyer.

So, it was with an incredulous jolt that Nicky looked up just as Dmitri reached her side. His hands deep in the pocket of his grey pants and his breath slightly wheezy. "I'm not late?" he said to Nicky in his thick Russian accent, while she just stared up at him.

He had said he would be here and she'd never known him to not keep his word, but it still surprised her nonetheless. She didn't know if the situations were reversed if she would have turned up. She wouldn't blame him for wanting her out of his house after all the trouble she'd caused.

"No, you're right on time," Evelyn assured him, after a pause when she realized Nicky wasn't going to speak. "They'll probably come get us soon."

Dmitri nodded. "Where's Mama?" he asked Nicky.

"She went to get me water," Nicky answered, her voice barely above a whisper. Dmitri nodded at that again and then took the vacant seat beside Nicky on the bench. He exhaled loudly and leaned into the backrest, shooting another glance at Nicky who had linked all her fingers together and stretched them out in front of her. She cracked her knuckles, unable to resist shooting Dmitri a look as she watched his involuntarly wince which never failed to appear when she did that.

"You're going to get arthritis when you're older if you keep that up," Dmitri said warningly.

"I'm just getting some kinks out," Nicky shrugged playfully.

"You're going to wind up with hands like mine," Dmitri said, holding out his left hand with its swollen knuckles and fingers. The light streaming through the large windows bounced off the gold watch he was wearing on his wrist, when he flexed it.

Nicky's eyes narrowed as Dmitri noticed her staring and held it up a little closer for her inspection. "It still doesn't work," he told her.

"Where did you find that?" Nicky gasped, touching it lightly with the pad of her finger. "I tried to go back and get it-"

"Maxsim was able to track it down for me," Dmitri explained. "They charged us a price only a fool would pay, but we paid it anyway. It was never about the money."

"I'll work everyday until I make enough to pay you back for it," Nicky told him, her eye welling up with tears. Relief coursed through her at the sight of the sentimental irreplaceable item she had stolen. The wrong she didn't think she would have ever been able to make right. If she ever got to see Maxsim again, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from running up to give him a huge hug in gratitude for fixing what she could not.

"I'm really sorry," Nicky apologized, brushing the tears from her eyes and giving her foster father a shaky smile.

"I know you are," Dmitri said gently, "but it's easy to forgive now that I have this back again."

She nodded her head in understanding and looked up to see Red headed back their way with a bottle of water in her hand for Nicky.

"Pop, found his watch," Nicky told her, accepting the water bottle from her hand and unscrewing the lid to take a huge gulp. The name his sons called him slipped off her lips almost as naturally as addressing Red as mom had. She could see Evelyn smiling at them, as she checked her watch one more time.

"So, that's why you were late," Galina commented, as the lawyer silently began to usher them down the hall towards the Judge's Chambers.

"I wasn't late," Dmitri protested.

"Almost," Galina replied.

"Come on you two," Nicky called lightly, her heart pounding so hard in her chest it was physically painful. She felt like she was going to explode with all of the conflicting emotions charging through her right now, with fear being the most paramount. It was growing with every step.

Galina's hand took hold of hers and squeezed tightly, which was exactly what Nicky needed. She took a deep breath and said to them all. "Let's get this over with." Wanting to believe with all of her heart that this was not the end of anything-but the beginning.


	13. Chapter 13

Never a morning person, Gloria was extra tired on this particular day. After a late night of talking down an anxious Galina over the phone, she would have liked to have a bit of a sleep in. She had tried tempting Julio and Benny with some cartoons in her bed when they rose at the crack of dawn, like always, and immediatley began to call for her. However, minutes later they were begging for breakfast and she'd had to take them out to the kitchen before they disturbed her mother and the girls.

"Want?" Benny offered sweetly, holding out a gummy cheerio that he had just removed from his own mouth.

"No, thank you, baby," Gloria chuckled, tapping her finger against the tray of his high chair which was sprinkled with cereal. "That's for you."

Benny's angelic expression shifted into a glare at her rejection. He held out his hand and then released his pincher grip. "Bye, bye," he said proudly, watching as the cheerio fell to the floor and rejoined the rest of his tossed food.

"Ewww, Julio, don't eat that!" Elena said in disgust, walking into the kitchen in her pink fluffy robe and slippers. Gloria leaned over to look under the table just in time to watch Julio pluck the gummy cheerio up and pop it in his mouth.

"Why don't you just ask for a bowl of your own?" Gloria asked him.

"I'm a puppy!" Julio replied, crouched down by her feet. "Ruff, ruff."

"Grandma has a real puppy," Elena reminded him, pulling up the chair beside her mother. "His name is Jasper and he's soo cute."

"I am a cute real puppy!" Julio protested.

"Very cute," Gloria assured him, reaching her hand down to stroke back his hair and scratch him behind his ears like a real dog. Julio stuck out his tongue and pretended to pant, just as a piercing whistle from the kettle filled the apartment.

"Do you want some tea, honey?" Gloria offered, as Julio held his hands over his ears and Benny clapped his hands excitedly at the noise.

"Sure," Elena nodded. "The raspberry one from last time."

"That's my favourite, too," Gloria smiled. She stood up on tiptoe and was sentimental in selecting Elena's favourite mug out of the cupboard.

"How do you feel about your history test today?" Gloria asked casually, as she placed two teabags into the cups and then began to pour the hot water over top.

"Grandma helped me study last night before bed," Elena replied, criss-crossing her legs onto the chair and then reaching for a banana from the fruit bowl in the center of the table.

"That's good," Gloria murmurred, bringing two mugs to the table and then silently passing Elena the sugar bowl. She had been busy doing baths, stories, and bed for the boys while Milagra had enjoyed some more quality time with the girls who had been attached to her hip since she'd gotten there.

"Is it okay if Grandma picks me up from school early today?" Elena asked, adding a heaping teaspoon of sugar to her tea and stirring it enthusiastically.

"No," Gloria said automatically. She took a sip of her tea and wrinkled her nose, before sliding the sugar bowl back towards herself.

"Nothing happens in the afternoon besides gym and art," Elena complained. "I can miss one day. Isn't Ceci going with you to the trial anyway?"

"We decided to skip that," Gloria replied calmly. She took a second sip of her tea now with the added sugar and then moistened her lips. "I don't see the sense in being there. We can be supportive later and I told Ceci to bring home Nicky's last few assignments so she can be all caught up when she goes back to school."

"Red will let her go back to actual class?" Elena asked.

"I assume so," Gloria shrugged. "But let's just get through this day first. No skipping out of school early. You guys can do whatever you want after school."

"Fine," Elena conceded with a sigh. She looked down when she felt the tug of a little hand on her robe.

"I want a banana too," Julio told her in a dramatic whisper.

"puppies don't eat bananas," Elena told him, cracking the peel of hers open. She took a single bite and then rolled her eyes at the way her brother was whimpering.

"Oh, here," she gave in, passing the banana for him to eat down under the table.

Julio nudged it back with his hand and sniffed. "You ate that one," he said is disgust.

"Seriously?" Elena blinked. "You were eating Benny's slobbery cheerios off of a dirty floor."

"Hey, leave my floors alone," Gloria protested, as Ceci walked into the kitchen already dressed for school with Milagra at her heel.

"Unless you're going to wash them," Milagra added with a tease, leaning over to kiss Elena's cheek. "Good morning, my love. Did you ask your mother about this afternoon?"

"Yes," Elena sighed. "She said no."

Milagra nodded her head silently and turned to the counter to select her own tea bag and a plain blue mug from the cupboard. "I just thought they could use some distraction," she finally said to Gloria. "They're both so worried about their friend."

"I know," Gloria agreed, focusing her eyes on Ceci and giving her a gentle smile. "Hopefully Nicky will be walking to school with you tomorrow again."

"Hopefully," Ceci agreed softly.

"If she goes to juvie can we visit her?" Elena asked bluntly.

"Think positive thoughts," Gloria told her, lifting her mug to her lips for another sip. "But yes. If it comes to that."

"It won't," Milagra said confidently. "And let's not let it spoil today. Gloria, I really think you should let me have the girls this afternoon."

"Mom-" Gloria closed her eyes.

"You have to work and I'll be bored all by myself," Milagra complained. "The girls want to show me more of their favourite places in the city."

"But what difference would a few hours make?" Gloria protested, sensing that she was losing the battle.

"Exactly," Milagra said, as though that settled everything. "It won't make a lick of difference. They're smart girls, Gloria, and they deserve to have some fun."

XXX

The lights in Gloria's apartment were already out Galina could see from the sidewalk, but that didn't mean anything. Living in a small apartment meant making the whole thing dark if you wanted to have any luck putting little ones to bed. Julio and Benny were probably already sleeping and Gloria and the girls were just quietly living their lives around them.

Ordinarily, Galina would not show up on anyone's doorstep at this late hour. At least not without an invitation. However, these were not normal circumstances. Galina had been alternating between shock and horror ever since their court appearance that morning. She'd been pacing and cleaning, and when her sons finally gave up on trying to console her and she failed to eat more than two bites of the meal that her daughter-in-law had prepared, she went to lie down on Nicky's bed and finally surrendered to sobbing tears she had been fighting back all day.

A red glow from the light of Gloria's cigarette gave away her position, as Galina drew nearer and could make out her silhouette sitting in the swing on her balcony. She saw Gloria bring the cigarette to her lips as their eyes locked. She hadn't heard from her all day. Not even a text to ask what the verdict was. She supposed her friend hadn't wanted to impose and was waiting for her to reach out first, which Galina had been dreading having to do. She didn't want to have to recant what had happened before the judge and in the aftermath. She didn't want to talk about it, and had been snapping at Dmitri and her other kids when they tried to make her.

"Door is unlocked," Gloria called down to her, and relief swelled in Galina's lungs making it a little bit easier to breathe. Gloria knew she wouldn't be walking by herself at night if she still had a daughter at home to take care of. She didn't need an explanation. As Galina let herself through the door and hurried up the stairs to join Gloria on the balcony, she could feel her eyes burning again. Even though it was a relief to finally be around someone who understood.

"Should I have called?" Gloria asked sympathetically, as Galina sank down beside her on the porch swing.

Galina shook her head, leaning forward with her head in her hands, nails piercing into the skin on her face. She used her feet to rock them slowly back and forth. Gloria's legs had been tucked up beneath her but she extended them now, pushing her toes into the pavement. Both women were silent and the sounds from the city was all that was heard.

"I can't believe this is happening," Galina finally spoke.

"I'm so sorry that it is," Gloria replied.

"She was crying when they took her out," Galina shuddered. "I didn't even get to walk with her. They made me say goodbye in there."

"I really thought things were going to work out," Gloria said quietly. "She's really been smartening up, and that's all thanks to you. You've been such a good mother to her."

"A little too late," Galina sniffed.

"You haven't even had her that long," Gloria reminded with a small smile. "I don't think you should blame yourself for anything."

"I should have paid more attention sooner," Galina said wistfully. "I won't even get to see her until visitation on Saturday and I have no clue if she is okay."

"Can she call you?" Gloria asked.

"I sent her money as soon as Dmitri and I left the courthouse," Galina replied. "But I don't know how long that will take to process."

"I'd like to send her some money too so she can call Ceci," Gloria said. "I don't want them to lose touch. Their friendship means so much for the both of them."

"That would be nice," Galina said, touched as she instinctively reached for Gloria's hand and squeezed it tightly. "In five months I can bring her home. Judge didn't want to change custody. They'll probably still process the adoption for us. I think they want Nicky out of their hair and am glad someone is willing to take responsibility for her."

"Well, that's good news, isn't it?" Gloria squeezed her hand back even more tightly. "Honestly, maybe there is some good to be said in all of this. Five months really isn't that long, and maybe it's an important lesson for Nicky to learn. That her mama loves her more than life itself and will stand by her through anything, but that doesn't mean she can expect to be bailed out of every situation she puts herself in."

"Fair enough," Galina hiccuped. "Though if I had my way I would have bailed her out of this, and anything else that came along."

"Oh, I have no doubt," Gloria smirked. "And you tried your hardest."

"I'm just so worried," Galina sighed.

"Nicky is a strong girl," Gloria reminded her. "And she's been through this before. Honestly, I'm more worried about you. I think you will feel much better once you get to see her on Saturday."

"Saturday cannot come any sooner," Galina agreed, leaning as deeply into the back of the

swing as she could, closing her eyes as Gloria continued to rock them back and forth. They spent several minutes in this tranquil silence. Both lost in heavy thoughts of her own. Then Galina turned to her and squeezed her hand once again.

"Maybe Ceci and Elena could come with me when I go?" Galina asked hopefully. "I think Nicky would like that."

"Sure," Gloria agreed. "I'll have to ask them later. They aren't home right now."

Galina pressed her lips together. "Where are they?" she finally asked. She had wondered why the apartment was so dark and quiet. It was still too early for the girls to be in bed and Milagra wasn't around either.

"Out with Grandma," Gloria replied, and then clicked her tongue impatiently. "She took the girls out of school early today and they're still off galavanting around the city."

"If you don't want her taking the girls out of school early then put your foot down," Galina advised. "You're their mother. What you say goes."

"Well, I don't know if that really works in this case," Gloria sighed.

She didn't want to admit how afraid she was to push. She hadn't seen Milagra engage with her daughters since they were little girls. She'd underestimated just how connected the three of them were and how much presence counted for. That even if Gloria thought she was making tremendous growth in her relationship with her daughters, there were parts of them that she would never know. The parts that Milagra had nurtured and raised. Gloria didn't want to be this way, but insecurity had been increasing within her every single time she saw Ceci and Elena with their grandmother.

"Being a mom is the hardest thing," Gloria confessed, and Galina, whose own hand had begun shaking so erratically in Gloria's grasp, nodded her head in agreement. Both of them, like any mother who had ever existed, was constantly questioning whether what they did was enough and if there mistakes could be forgiven.

"I feel the same way," Galina replied, and it was both disheartening and comforting to realize that as different as they were, and as different as their children were, they both struggled. It was just the way it was.

"I'll talk to the girls about going to visit Nicky tomorrow," Gloria promised her.

"Thanks," Galina replied, pushing the swing back again with the balls of her feet. She glanced at Gloria through the corner of her eye. "Do you want me to get out of here? It is getting late."

"No," Gloria shook her head. "You can stay," she smiled. "To be honest I don't really want to be waiting up for them all alone."

"Good," Galina said contentedly, "I didn't really want to leave." She moved a bit closer to Gloria on the swing and settled back more deeply into a comfortable position. It was the first time she felt like she'd been able to breathe normally all day, and it would have to be enough.

**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. **


	14. Chapter 14

"If I was the judge, I'm not so sure I could overlook repetitive offences either," Ceci said diplomatically, a pained expression on her face as she reached for her pillow and hugged it to herself.

"Poor Nicky," she whispered into the pillow. Her legs were tucked underneath and she leaned back against the wall with a hard sigh.

Gloria nodded her head sympathetically and perched naturally down on the edge of the mattress. It was later that same night. Galina had gone home reluctantly over an hour ago and Gloria had been waiting up impatiently for her mother to return with her daughters. Elena was taking a shower and Milagra had gone straight to sleep upon arrival.

"I know, it's awful," Gloria agreed, shooting an appreciatively glance at her oldest child. She was grateful to be able to talk about this with her privately because she knew Ceci would take the news as hard as maybe even Galina had.

She had been keeping Nicky's secrets and burdening her young heart with such hopelessness since the two had become friends, but Gloria knew that Nicky had brightened Ceci's life as much as she'd tried her. She hadn't only been a bad influence. Ceci had a good head on her shoulders anyway, and Nicky brought her own sense of wisdom with her everywhere she went. It was terrible that it had all come to this. Even if it was necessary and deserved, it was still tragic.

"I was sitting with Galina all evening," Gloria confided. "She said you and Elena could go visit Nicky with her, if you'd like to."

Ceci pursed her lips and pressed her chin into the pillow. She looked so youthful and beautiful with her dark curly hair hanging down her back and a pair of pink flannel pajamas with kittens printed on them. Gloria had never felt more grateful to have her daughters back under her roof. She wanted to reach out to Ceci right now, stroke her hair back or kiss her cheek. Even more, she wanted those feelings to be reciprocated. As upset as Galina was feeling tonight, Gloria was anxious herself. Her mother's visit, while welcomed by the girls, was making Gloria feel more and more nervous. It was impossible not to feel insecure.

"Maybe I'll write…." Ceci said doubtfully. She lifted her chin slightly and raised her eyebrows at her mother. "I don't know...should I visit?"

"Up to you," Gloria said automatically. "If it makes you uncomfortable then you don't have to."

"Have to do what?" Elena yawned, walking into the bedroom in Gloria's purple bath robe with a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Visit Nicky," Ceci said bluntly.

"In jail?" Elena looked surprised. She was less emotional about the situation than her sister, but she still cared deeply about their friend. She had expected Nicky to be bailed out of the situation entirely though. Deep down they all had.

"Well, I'll go," Elena shrugged, using both her hands to tousle her hair dry with the towel.

"You want to?" Ceci raised her eyebrows.

"Well, we might as well brighten her day," Elena said calmly. "If I was in jail, I'd want you guys to visit me."

"If you were in jail, I'd want to kick you," Gloria said. She leaned back on her elbows and smiled when Elena threw her robe playfully at her.

Gloria smoothed the fleece fabric over her like a blanket. She loved it when her daughters borrowed her things. Even more when they did it without asking. Earrings from her jewellery box, a spritz of perfume, her hairbrush or her makeup...there was an essence of comfortability in their home now. They didn't typically knock before walking into her bedroom, nor did they hesitate to come into the bathroom to brush their teeth while she was in a shower. It was like being a real family again.

"What would you say to me if you visited me in jail?" Elena teased, pulling her nightgown over her head.

"Probably just do a lot of yelling," Gloria said matter-of-factly.

"I don't think Red is going to yell at Nicky," Ceci shook her head. "But I bet Nicky would rather her yell then cry again."

"Probably," Gloria agreed. "I never really cared when your Grandmother yelled at me. It was when she cried that I felt guilty."

"Do you think Nicky feels guilty?" Ceci asked.

Gloria paused. "I think she has a lot of regrets," she said finally. "And I'm sure she is scared for herself and angry at the whole situation. A visit from her friends will probably help a lot. Galina said she could take you on Saturday."

"Can you come?" Elena asked. She crawled up on her sister's bed and stretched out next to her mother.

Gloria had to keep the store open that day, but she didn't want to say it was because of work. "There's probably rules about how many people are allowed to go," she said finally, and was satisfed when Elena seemed to accept this.

"And it wouldn't be fair for us all to ditch Grandma," Ceci reasoned.

"Exactly," Gloria agreed. "Plus somebody has to play referee between her and Tia. They bicker more than Julio and Benny when they both want the same toy."

Both the girls laughed at that, and Gloria took the opportunity to tuck some damp strands of Elena's hair behind her ear. She was grateful for her daughters and that they seemed to appreciate that they could have both their mother and grandmother in their corner. They didn't need to choose. And Gloria just had to hope that would remain the same when Milagra went back to Puerto Rico.

XXX

One of the last things Red had said to her was to keep busy, and Nicky had been. Not that she had been given much choice in the matter. Even behind bars, as a juvenile she was expected to be in school. The majority of her day was spent in a stuffy overcrowded classroom where inmates sat at metal desks bolted to the floor. They were all different grades and abilities, several of Nicky's peers couldn't read and even more of them came to class with the sole intent of making it as distracting and unpleasant for everyone as possible.

Nicky would sit slouched in her chair filling out workbooks, her back and bottom getting sore. Naturally smart, her hand would get a cramp from the speed with which she wrote out her answers and she'd welcome the chaos in the room because it helped a little in keeping her mind off of where she could have been right now if she hadn't been so stupid.

What would she do to be able to walk to school with Ceci every morning and joke around with her between class. She wished she still had Red to come home to at the end of the day. That she could still pretend to be annoyed when she checked through her backpack and made her sit at the kitchen table to do homework under her close eye.

This was harder than her first stint in juvie, because back then she had grown accustomed to only having herself to depend on and had just assumed that was the way things would always be. Now, Nicky had a mother to love on her and keep her in line, and she wasn't even allowed to be with her. Nicky had appreciated what she had too late.

She still woke up every day intending to do as Red said. She followed the rules, she kept her sarcastic remarks to a minimum, and she focused on schoolwork. Every evening when she returned to her bunk, Nicky would check another day off on her calendar and then pray she'd get tired fast enough so she could sleep through as much of her sentence as possible. Even with a strict schedule and every single minute of every day being accounted for, time seemed to be crawling.

"I thought it was going to be pizza tonight," A tiny girl with blonde hair pulled back into cornrows grumbled. Nicky recognized her as Tricia Miller, although this was the first time she had seen her standing upright. Tricia had already been admitted into the detention center a few days before Nicky and had been loudly detoxing in the bathroom during their exchange.

"Nah, they don't want us to be happy," Nicky said, taking a bite out of a crusty white roll. She hadn't yet touched her own meat and was hoping if she filled up enough on bread for dinner that she wouldn't have to. Sometimes she couldn't resist fantasizing about the home cooked meals Red used to prepare for her and with a supper that looked like this, it was one of those times.

"This sucks," Tricia said. "I almost didn't mind when they picked me up cause it meant I'd get three meals a day. But if they keep serving this I might go on a hunger strike. "

"Here, take this," Nicky said, ripping her roll in half and tossing a piece across the table. "It's just in….Man _can _live on bread alone."

"Thanks, but now aren't you going to still be hungry?"

"I can choke this down," Nicky shrugged. They weren't allowed to use a knife so she used her fingers to rip off a dainty piece of the thin meat pattie.

"You know swallowing things without tasting them is a life skill I learned after the pinch my mom gave me for spitting out my escargo in her wine glass at a work party she dragged me to," Nicky shared conversationally.

"Also helps when you blow a guy for a hit," Tricia giggled.

"Exactly," Nicky agreed. "I've been there before too. I'm not sure what is worse….at least for a hit there's something in it for me."

"I'd kill for a hit right now," Tricia shook, and Nicky raised her eyebrows at her. The girl couldn't be much more than thirteen but she looked even younger. The worst of the withdrawl was behind her but she still looked extremely pale.

Nicky picked up her plastic mug and took a sip of water. "I guess I don't have to look too far to figure out what you got in here for."

"That's just a bonus," Tricia shrugged. "I told the cop if they didn't stop picking me up and making me go home, that I'd just get better at hiding. So, they brought me here instead."

"Well, you must have a good reason," Nicky replied, feeling a pang of guilt for how eager she was herself to get back to the loving home waiting for her. Most people in here didn't have that. "How long are you in for?"

"I don't know," Tricia said, ripping off a piece of the soft inner bread and bringing it to her lips. "Guess I'll find out when I go see the judge and hear what my mom and her fucking husband say."

"Tell the judge why you run away from them," Nicky suggested. "After that they might be too embarassed to say anything."

"Or make them say more," Tricia replied.

"That'll just make them unhindged and help your case," Nicky replied. "That's what helped my mom's case. She just let my dad bring his mistress into mediation and dig himself a hole, and then she took all his money."

"Smart," Tricia laughed. "And then she spent it on making you eat gross things like snails. You're from the fancy world. How did you get here?"

"She's dead now," Nicky said hoarsely, making Tricia stop laughing and pause for a second.

It didn't answer her question, and yet it sort of did. It sent Nicky on a downward spiral that she hadn't been able to escape from. There was no chance of closure, when somebody was dead. It meant not getting the last word or getting to confront. It meant the end, and until Nicky found her place with Red and Dmitri, she hadn't been able to visualize a new beginning.

"I wish mine was dead," Tricia said finally. "I don't need a mom."

"Sometimes they're more trouble than they're worth," Nicky agreed. "To be fair, they'd probably say the same thing about us. I've been in foster care since then. In my experience, from all the ones they passed me around to, mothers are not created equal."

She didn't elaborate. She didn't want to talk about Red because mentally comparing her situation now to what Tricia was describing just made her feel guilty. She got through about half of her plate before she decided to substitute the rest with a bag of potato chips she had bought from commissary. Red had immediately put money on her account when she'd gotten here.

"Do you think they're watching anything decent in the TV room?" Tricia asked.

"Hmm...maybe," Nicky replied. "I beat a bunch of kids at Jeopardy yesterday."

She had been planning to go line up to phone home after dinner, but with Tricia intent on hanging so close to her side she decided not to bother. It only made her sadder and think more about how she didn't want to be here. She couldn't imagine saying the same things to one another on repeat could possibly do much for Red either, and visitation was in a couple of days anyway.

So, the girls bussed their trays and then sped off to Nicky's bunk to get the chips Nicky promised to share. Tricia had no money to buy treats. Nicky had to chuckle as she watched her new friend lick the salt from each potato chip and then nibble at them slowly. After withdrawling, her appetite was returning and Tricia proclaimed that nothing had ever tasted better.

"I'll buy us some more to share tomorrow," Nicky promised, feeling oddly protective of the younger girl. She was too young to be so alone in the world and she seemed really sweet. Despite the unfair hand life had tossed Tricia, tossed both of them, Nicky knew better than anyone that one person could change the whole story around. It was exactly what was being done for her.


End file.
